The Haunting
by JessiCAT1989
Summary: All his life, Alfred has been terrified of ghosts. So, now that his house is supposedly haunted, can Arthur help him rid his house of the spirit? And, what if the ghost is not a spirit at all?
1. It Begins

All right. Back with a new story. I know. I know. I'm terrible.

But I had a good idea about this new story. And, I figured I might was well write it out. Its been bugging me for a while.

Anyway, I don't own Hetalia. Though, I'd really like to. LOVE that show!

Alfred's bright blue eyes narrowed in confusion as they descended upon the blonde man seated opposite him. "So, you're saying you want to bring that weird board thing to my house to do...what again?" He asked, just before taking another bite of his burger.

Arthur sighed, clearly tiring of repeating himself. "First of all, it is a ouija board. And I want to contact the spirits in your home. I believe your house was built over an ancient burial ground."

Alfred immediately froze, his eyes growing wide. "You mean...you think my house is...h-haunted?"

The young man indeed enjoyed playing the brave hero from time to time, but the one thing he could not fathom dealing with was ghosts. He had always been terribly frightened of them. Ever since he could remember. And as his friend Kiku frequently reminded him, it could have something to do with the endless hours he spent as a kid watching horror movies.

Arthur nodded. "Yes. And I believe if we make contact with them, we can figure out exactly what they need in order for them to move on." He paused, taking a sip of his tea. As he did so, he noted Alfred's blank face. "That means they will immediately leave your home."

Alfred was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly why this theory was such a shock to him. Even he should have guessed his house was haunted, what with all the odd occurences at night. There had been many a time he awoke to the sounds of the wooden floorboards creaking outside of his room in the vacant hall. Or when there would be the light knocking on his door late into the night. Something definitely wasn't right. But somehow, Alfred had deluded himself into believing there was a logical explanation for everything paranormal going on.

After a few moments of silence between the two as Alfred debated whether or not Arthur's plan was a good idea or not, he finally nodded. "All right. When do you wanna do this thing, man?"

Arthur smiled, clearly thrilled he had won. "How about I come over tomorrow night? That way I can prepare myself further, and we can make sure we contact them in a proper manner."

"Okay..." The other blonde finally answered, setting his burger down on his plate. His gaze followed the length of the dustless, antique wooden table before him. He had been thoroughly excited when Arthur had asked him over to his place, thinking his old friend just wanted to catch up. He hadn't expected there was an ulterior motive to the brit's hospitality.

Hours passed, as Arthur talked on, and Alfred distractedly replied, still quite disturbed about the prospect of ghosts at his place.

Finally, Alfred let out a yawn he had been holding for quite some time, stretching as he stood to his feet. "All right, bro. I think I'm gonna head on home." He said, turning to grab his coat.

Arthur followed suit, rising from the arm chair he had relocated to, and striding over to the door. "All right. I suppose that is for the best. You do look rather exhausted."

The younger man nodded. "Yeah, dude. I didn't sleep at all last night." He explained, slipping into his leather jacket. "Anyway," he began, making his way over to where Arthur was standing. "Thanks again for those hard biscuit things again." And with that, the American was out the door.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell. For the last time, they're called scones." He spat before shutting the door.

Alfred couldn't help but smile as he trudged away from the elder man's house. For some reason, pissing Arthur off was hilarious. Hearing him say in his proper english such foul things was indeed entertaining to say the least.

It didn't take long for the young man to arrive at his house. And almost immediately, he tore off his t-shirt and faded jeans, trading them out for the much preferred comfiness of his pajamas.

As always, sleep did not take long to find Alfred as he laid in bed.

However, as usual, he awoke in the middle of the night to the creepy sounds fluttering about in his home.

He tried to ignore it, but with the thought of ghosts being just beyond his door, floating around, it was almost too much to bear.

The rest of the night was spent tossing and turning, falling into a light slumber he often awoke from, just to have to try and fall asleep once more.

As the first few rays of sunlight began to flood his room, Alfred made one last attempt to get just another hour of sleep.

Luckily, he drifted off once more.

When he awoke, it was to the shrill sound of his cell phone ringing.

Groaning, he grasped his glasses, tossing them onto the bridge of his nose, and thrusting the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alfred. I wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight?" Came Arthur's overly pleasant tone. Of course. The bastard probably slept fantastic last night, while Alfred barely recieved a total of two hours' sleep.

Attempting to push the overwhelming need to curse needlessly at the Englishman, Alfred mumbled something that was supposed to be a yes.

Arthur paused on the other line, having not heard the man clearly. "Um, shall I take that as a yes?" He questioned.

Alfred raked his fingers through his hair, sitting himself upright on his bed. "I said, 'yeah, bro.' Whenever you're ready." He said, this time clearer.

"Oh wonderful! I'll be there around seven o'clock." There was a pause, and Alfred was about to say his agreement, when Arthur's voice rang through the phone once more.

"Do you mind if I bring Gilbert and Ivan along? They both seemed quite interested in the hauntings, and it may help if we have more people participating."

Alfred sighed inwardly. Gilbert prided himself in making fun of anyone, and everyone. And come tonight, he would have just another secret over him. He wondered if he could handle that much emotional abuse.

As for Ivan, he was another story. As if it wasn't scary enough, him having to face the ghosts, he'd have the creepy-as-hell Russian in his home.

He shuddered at the thought of Ivan seating himself on Alfred's couch, that strange purple aura clouding his face as his eyes seemed to glow a brighter shade of violet. His lips widening into a satisfied smirk as they discussed the haunting further.

He was just about to refuse when a thought occured to him. If he said no, then wouldn't he look like a coward? Gilbert would no doubt ridicule him for being too afraid to let them come along. And soon, everyone would know what a sissy he was.

As much as he hated the thought, he had to agree. And, maybe, just maybe with more people over at his house, it wouldn't be _as_ scary.

"'Kay. But, could ya maybe blindfold Ivan on the way over? Ya know, so he doesn't know where I live?"

"What?" Arthur asked, startled at his question.

Alfred let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, heh. Just a joke...Anyway, see ya tonight." He said, quickly shutting his phone.

"Oh God...what have I done?" He asked himself.

Seven o'clock came much to early for Alfred's liking as his doorbell rang. He quickly opened the door, revealing Arthur's overly eager face clutching a rectangular piece of thick cardboard Alfred assumed to be the oija board in question. His blue eyes shifted to find Gilbert, his usual smirk plastered over his face. To the right of him stood Ivan's tall frame, an innocent grin spread across his lips.

He then furrowed a brow, finding another body on behind Gilbert.

"Yo, Arthur, what's Ludwig doing here?" Alfred asked, his voice too loud to be considered a whisper.

Ludwig cleared his throat, folding his arms across his chest.

"I came along as to keep an eye on my brother." He replied, his eyes glued to the back of Gilbert's head.

Gilbert's own crimson eyes rolled, as Alfred shifted to the side, allowing the four to squeeze into the vast living room.

"Oh come on, Ludwig. We all know you really just came because you were interested, too!"

"Anyway," Arthur interrupted, not allowing Ludwig to answer the overly hyped German. He gently set the ouija board on the hardwood floor, placing a small black arrow-shaped tool on top. "So, here is the general idea. We need to ask the spirits a question. And, while our hands are on this pointer here, they will move it to the letters to spell out their answers. Or, to the yes, or no indicated on the board." He explained, gesturing to the different places on the thick carboard.

When everyone seemed to acknowledge this, he grinned once more. "All right. Shall we get started?"

"Yes! Let's get on with it." Gilbert shouted.

Arthur gently placed a hand on top of the arrow. His emerald eyes then lifted up to find Alfred's.

"Alfred, I believe since it is your home, you should participate as well. Place your hand on top of mine."

Alfred was hesitant at first. His eyes scanned the other four pairs staring back at him, waiting for him to obey.

Shakily, he placed his hand on top of Arthur's. "Now, we begin." Arthur immediately closed his eyes, his expression sobering into that of a more serious one.

"Oh, spirits. We summon you here tonight. We wish to speak to you." Arthur paused, clearing his throat lightly. "Who are we speaking to, if we may ask?"

Nothing seemed to happen. Everyone waited with baited breath, intensely watching the pointer to see if it would perhaps move.

It didn't. Alfred felt himself relax slightly. Maybe his house wasn't haunted? Maybe he had imagined everything, and nothing odd was going on. He almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he had been.

"Spirits, please give us a sign you are here." Arthur continued, seeming unphased by the lack of communication.

Still, nothing.

"Well, this looks like a load of crap." Gilbert grumbled. He then turned to face Ludwig seated next to him. "Looks like you were right. Nothing's happening."

Ivan sighed, clearly disappointed. "I thought you said something frightening would happen tonight." He said softly. "I wanted to see the American scream in fear."

Alfred shivered, too afraid to be offended at the Russian's comment.

In one last ditch effort, Arthur asked, "What do you wish for here?"

"Ah, come on, man. Nothing's going to happen! Let's just go." Gilbert said, his impatience getting the best of him as he slowly got to his feet.

Ivan followed suit, rising from the large armchair he had claimed.

Arthur's eyes slowly opened, disappointment evident in his features. "Well, I could have been wrong...I suppose."

Alfred lifted his hand from the pointer, a little too quickly. And Arthur's soon followed.

"Hey, you guys don't have to go yet, ya know? We could watch this new scary movie I got!" Alfred suggested, jumping to his feet, and digging said movie from his collection.

The other four exchanged wary glances, already having heard of the horror story Japan had had to endure when he last watched a movie involving ghosts with the hyperactive man.

"Its from Japan!" Alfred coaxed, noting their wary expressions.

"Oh, fine. I suppose I have nothing better to do. But I will not be sitting next to you." Arthur scoffed.

Ludwig nodded. "Ja. I guess I can stay as well." He then looked to his elder brother. "You will stay as well."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Fine. At least I'll get to see Alfred piss himself during the movie." He snorted.

Alfred, ignoring Gilbert's comment, turned to Ivan next, awaiting his answer. "Well, Ivan? Ya wanna stay, too? I can make popcorn!"

"I guess I can stay. I don't have any other plans anyway."

Alfred grinned, turning to towards the kitchen. However, just as he began to step out of the room, he heard a scratching noise coming from the floor, and a loud gasp.

He slowly turned to find the pointer sliding across the ouija board. He caught it just in time to see it shift from the a, to the l. It then slid to the f, then to the r. The e came next, and in a painfully slow speed, the pointer scraped over to the last letter. D.

"A-Arthur...how did you do that, man?" Alfred asked, chuckling slightly. He would not be made a fool. This was a trick. One they had all concocted so they would have something to make fun of him about.

But when Alfred looked to Arthur, he didn't find the smirk he expected. Arthur's face was pale, the color having been drained, and his expression was of pure shock.

All right, well, maybe he wasn't in on this prank. It had to be Gilbert. Gilbert was the mastermind behind this.

When Alfred's gaze drifted to Gilbert, the German looked just as terrified as Alfred felt. Even Ivan looked uncomfortable.

"Look, this isn't funny, guys! Its not cool to make fun of someone's insecurities, okay? Who did that?" Alfred yelled, no longer able to keep calm.

Arthur seemed to regain his ability to speak as he opened his mouth slowly. "Alfred...No one touched it."

"Then how did it move, dude?" The blonde demanded, growing tired of this prank. It just _had _to be a prank. There was no way some 'spirit', had moved the arrow to spell out his name.

An uneasy silence crept over the five, a chill spreading through the air.

It was clear from everyone's faces that no one had expected Arthur to be able to contact the dead. No one dared to move. As if whatever had moved the pointer would annihilate them on contact.

Now Alfred was seriously pissed. Someone was messing with him, and it was in no way amusing.

He stomped over to Ivan, angry beyond reason as he thrusted his forefinger into the taller man's face. "Start talking Ivan, or I'll tell Natalia where you moved to!"

Gilbert, finally breaking from his stupor, grasped Alfred by the arms, anger filtering into his muscles as he clenched tightly. "Look, you stupid American! None of us touched the damn board! We weren't even near the cursed thing!"

Alfred froze. Gilbert didn't look like he was joking. Even though the man's face was scrunched in an impatient rage, there was something in his face that told Alfred he was legitimately terrified.

"Everyone needs to calm down and think rationally here." Ludwig's baritone announced, reminding everyone of his presence. "Supposing there was such a thing as 'ghosts', why would they have spelled Alfred's name out on the board? It makes no sense."

Ivan looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, think back to the last question Arthur asked." He waited while everyone recalled.

"I asked what it wanted." Arthur said simply, still unsure how that answered any questions.

"Exactly." Ivan said. "And it answered, 'Alfred.' Apparently, he's what it wants."

Now, Alfred was clinging to Gilbert for dear life. "Oh God, Oh God! Please tell me this was all a joke!"

Gilbert, despite being rather frightened himself, still managed to look irritated as the blonde sobbed into his shoulder. "Please get off of me!" He yelled in vain.

Alfred continued to hold on rather tightly, obviously not having heard the German's command.

Arthur stroked his chin, deep in thought as he studied the oija board still on the floor. The pointer had returned to the middle as if nothing had happened. "I believe we should ask it some more questions."

"Are you insane? We have no idea who, or what we're dealing with here! And need I remind you, I am too awesome to die!" Gilbert shrieked, seeming to lose his bravado.

Ludwig placed a hand on the man's free shoulder. "I agree with Arthur. Maybe we can figure out who it is, and why it said it wanted Alfred."

Ivan grinned, the cloud of uncertainty lifting from his face. "I agree as well. I want to know more about this spirit."

Alfred stiffened. How was he supposed to make it through tonight without pissing himself in front of his friends? This was scarier than any movie he had ever seen, and it was all happening to him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't protest as Arthur's voice became evident once more.

"Spirit, may we know your name?"

A few seconds ticked by without any change, and for a moment, Alfred was sure the horror had gone. Then, he watched as the arrow chose the n letter. It fluttered about until it rested on the last letter.

"N-none?" Arthur spoke.

Everyone knew the british man to be quite into the supernatural. He often talked of his magical friends. Most often, 'flying mint bunny.' So to see the man spooked was rather unsettling.

He paused as he thought of his next question. "How many years has it been since you died?"

The arrow resumed its fluttering about until it once again spelled 'none.' Then, shocking everyone, it continued to move. It moved from a, to l, and Alfred was sure it would spell his name again for some horrifying reason. Instead, it rested on the l again.

"What does that mean?" Ludwig asked. "How could it be both 'none', and 'all'?"

"So, we've got a prankster ghost, huh?" Gilbert snickered, beginning to sound like himself once more. "I've got one for ya! "So, ghostie, what're you doing here?"

Everyone's eyes watched the board, waiting for it to move again.

Nothing happened for a moment, and they wondered if maybe the spirit wouldn't answer them this time.

Everyone watched in shock, as the board burst into flames, crackling sinisterly. Luckily, Ivan and Ludwig still had enough sense to dart off to find a way to put the fire out.

In less than a minute, Ludwig returned, pouring a bucket of water over the fire, drowning out the flames.

He panted, setting the bucket down on the floor. "Well, I guess we know for next time that summoning ghosts is a bad idea."

"I had lots of fun." Ivan chirped, seating himself back down on the armchair.

Gilbert frowned, shaking off his fear for the moment. "That bastard did not answer my question!"

Arthur shook his head, having examined the remains of the board. As he lifted it, he pointed to the burn marks in the floor. "I believe you are gravely wrong about that..."

Gilbert frowned, annoyed by Arthur's immense look of humorlessness.

What he found caused him to freeze in place. Alfred, now curious, rose to look as well.

He was sure his heart had stopped. The breath from his lungs ripped from his chest with a fiery gasp.

There, burnt into the wood, clear as day were the simple words, 'to kill'.

"Scheiße!" Ludwig shouted, too taken aback by the scene to sensor himself.

Even Ivan's eyes had gone wide.

This was bad. Whatever was in Alfred's house was not just a lowly spirit.

Alfred whimpered as Arthur pulled the man into a half hug. He couldn't bear to see him so emotionally distraught. Especially knowing this was his doing. Something had to be done.

"Don't worry, Al. I'll stay with you tonight. Whatever this is, it will most likely leave soon. You just can not let your fear get the best of you."

Alfred nodded as Arthur soothingly pet his head.

Everything would be all right...right? He had Arthur here with him now, who had been just like an older brother to him for years. He would be protected tonight, and by the morning, this evening would be just another bad memory.

Right?

All right guys. Hoped you liked it!

I know I keep making new stories, and not finishing them. But I will! I just really had to do a creepy one. Horror is kinda my thing, so I figured I might as well use it.

Please leave me reviews, and I should update on this one more frequently. I'd like to finish this one fairly soon, as its probably going to be my favorite. =]


	2. Bloody Encounter

K! Back with another chapter!

Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia...even though I'd really like to, so I could do bad things to Gilbert and Ivan...

=O

ANYWAY, on with the story!

Arthur waited until Alfred's sobs slowly faded into low snores. It had been hours since everyone had left, and Arthur had led Alfred into his bedroom.

Of course it was natural for him to be scared, anyone would have been, but Arthur was on the brink of full exhaustion. He had been sure once or twice as he attempted to comfort the younger man, he would collapse.

At least now he was free to wander out to his bedroom for the night.

He sighed inwardly as he stripped down to his boxers, sliding the sheets on the bed back to make room for him.

The rest of the night passed in blissful peace, and eventually the british man felt the kiss of the sun's rays on his cheek.

He quickly rose from the bed, stepping into his khaki pants once more, and pulling his green t-shirt over his slightly tousled mane.

Brushing his fingers through his hair to momentarily tame it, he rushed down the hall to Alfred's room.

The door was shut, just as he had left it. "Come on, Alfred. Its time to get up." He said, knocking lightly on the door. No answer came, and so Arthur waited.

Growing impatient, he knocked on the door, a tad harder this time. "Alfred! Get up! I'll make you some breakfast."

When the other man still did not respond, Arthur grew concerned. If there was any mention of food, any at all, Alfred would hear it, and come running. Something was not right.

No longer caring to be polite, Arthur twisted the knob on the door, opening it. He hesitated, a horrible vision of Alfred having been frightened enough to somehow die of a heart attack in his sleep flashed through his mind. However, when he peeked his head around, he found the blonde in question sprawled across the sheets, still snoring.

"Hey! Alfred!" Arthur shouted, irritation seeping like venom through him.

Alfred stirred, groaning as he did so. His eyes slowly fluttered open, as he grabbed his glasses, pushing them up his nose.

He grinned when he found Arthur standing before him. "Hey, dude! It totally worked!"

Arthur furrowed a brow. "Pardon me? What nonsense are you speaking of?"

"Talking to the ghosts! I didn't hear any creepy creaking, or knocking all night! I slept like a baby for the first time in a long time!"

Even if Alfred sounded like a moron, and it did seem odd that the entity in question would leave after what had happened the night before, Arthur had to admit, he was liking the thought of someone actually thinking him credible enough to have ward off a spirit.

The blonde man smiled. "I'm glad to hear so. Would you like for me to make you some breakfast in celebration?"

Alfred's grin grew wider if possible. "Yeah, dude! I'm totally starving! Let's go!" He chirped, rushing past Arthur, out of the room, and down the hall.

The rest of the day passed without any excitement, and Arthur decided to take his leave.

Alfred continued thanking him numerous times, until the man had disappeared from his vision outside.

Once he was alone once more, Alfred glanced at the spot on his floor that had been burnt.

Arthur had tried to no avail the night before to scrub the etching from the wood, but it did not seem to fade whatsoever.

Even today, Alfred had taken his trusty magic eraser to it, still having no luck.

He shrugged slightly, disregarding it for now. He would just have to call to have it professionally cleaned up.

Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to occur for the next few weeks. Alfred had returned to his job as a school teacher, meeting with his friend Kiku for lunch as always. He had decided to neglect telling his Japanese friend that he had allowed Arthur to bring a ouija board into his home. No doubt the man would tell him that was indeed unwise.

One particular evening, however, Alfred found that his peace would be short lived.

As he arrived home, he slung his jacket onto one of the awaiting chairs in his living room, chucking his briefcase aside as well.

Deciding it was time to finally pop open that movie he had finally gotten, he slumped down into the couch, grabbing a bag of potato chips to enjoy.

As the screen on the tv slowly flared to life, he watched in awe as the movie began. This was going to be good.

However, halfway through, his television began to flicker, fading to a dull gray color.

"Ah, come on! Stupid thing!" He shouted, tapping at the remote, as if that would make the movie magically continue.

When nothing happened, Alfred stood to his feet, stepping over to his small DVD player. "Stupid piece o' junk." He muttered, extracting the DVD from the device.

As he seated himself back on the couch, he flipped the channel to Investigation Discovery. If he couldn't have his horror film, he'd watch a murder mystery instead.

He waited for the screen to reflect the show, but found it remained the same blank gray.

"Dude! Come on!"

He quickly grasped the remote, flipping through channel, after channel. Something **had** to work.

When nothing seemed to, the blonde rolled his eyes, rather distraught as he hit the power button on the remote.

Though, yet again, nothing happened. It stuck to the same screen.

"Dude...what's up with my tv?" He wondered aloud, beginning to stand to his feet.

As he began to step over to the massive structure, the screen began to flicker once more. But now, he could hear a faint chanting sound.

Frozen in place, and curious, he strained his ears to pick up the words coming out.

He soon found, he couldn't. It definitely wasn't english. And though he couldn't understand what was being said, there was a sinister quality to it.

Whipping his cell phone out from his pocket, he dialed Arthur. He obviously had some experience on weird stuff happening. And, of course, Alfred still considered Arthur as an elder brother to him. He needed him now, more than ever.

"Hello?" Came the voice on the other line.

"Dude! Arthur! You have to come over! My tv's making these weird ass noises! Its freaking me out, man!"

There was a pause, as Arthur seemed to digest what Alfred had just told him.

"I'll be right over." And with that, the Englishman ended the call.

Alfred frowned. That was definitely odd for him to seem so urgent. Something was going on, and Arthur had to have a good idea of what it could be.

It only took Arthur twenty minutes to arrive. And when Alfred opened the door to let him in, Arthur barged in, squeezing past him.

"D-dude...its been doing this for almost half an hour. Its seriously creeping me out..."

Arthur furrowed a brow, stepping closer to the television. "What noises? I don't hear a thing."

Alfred narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Oh, come on! Get a little closer to it. Its kinda quiet, but you can totally hear some weird chanting."

Arthur obliged, cupping the ear closest to try and pick up any noise.

Still hearing nothing, the elder man turned to face Alfred once more. "Very funny, Alfred. Why is it that you really called me here?" Arthur's expression quickly turned from that of annoyance, to one of disbelief. "Did you call me here to watch that new horror flick with you? Because I will not do it!"

Alfred's eyes widened, not understanding how the other man couldn't pick up on the voices coming from his tv.

"What're you talking about? Its definitely noticeable. How can you not hear it?" He mumbled, almost to himself.

From his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of light coming from the screen next to him. He slowly turned his gaze to find the screen had turned a dark shade of crimson, flowing down at a sluggish rate.

"Wh-what is that?" Came his shaky voice, gesturing mildly to the television.

Arthur furrowed a brow, clearly not seeing why Alfred was becoming so agitated.

"What do you mean? I believe it looks as if your television is just broken. Nothing unusual. However..." He quickly stopped himself, watching as the color in Alfred's face visibly drained before his eyes. Beads of sweat had begun to form on the blonde's face, trickling down his cheek. "What's the matter?" He asked, his voice adopting a sense of urgency.

Alfred merely shook his head, his mouth slowly falling agape as he watching what appeared to be blood flowing from the giant screen to his floor.

"Alfred, seriously. What is it? What is going on with you?" Arthur asked, attempting once more to figure out what had gotten into his friend.

Alfred, dumbfounded, remained silent, watching helplessly as the blood began to form a shape on the floor. He immediately backed away, as the the crimson tide began to configure itself into what appeared to be a small human frame.

He let out a gasp, stepping backwards, and knocking back onto the couch, too frightened to even move.

Though the 'person' before him had seemed to finish forming, it still remained consisted of purely blood, droplets falling to the floor as it moved.

Amazingly, he could make out a mouth as it sluggishly opened, letting out a high pitched shriek.

"Oh God! What is that thing? Make it stop! Make it **stop**!" Alfred pleaded, covering his eyes with his hands.

He felt hands grip his forearms, and in complete terror, he let out a shrill cry. "Oh God! Please don't come near me! Please don't kill me!" He sobbed.

"Alfred! What is the matter with you?" Hearing Arthur's voice, Alfred opened his eyes slightly, just enough to find the man's face etched with concern before him. "Why are you crying?" He went on, wiping a tear from his face.

Alfred shook his head vigorously, desperately trying to regain his ability to speak as he choked out another sob. "Arthur! You have to hide! There's some kind of monster right...behind you...?" He quickly cocked his head to the side, attempting to see past the blonde before him.

Shockingly, nothing was there. No trace of the blood, or the blob it had formed. Even the television was blank, and silent. Not a clue of the horror he had just witnessed unfolding right before his eyes.

His eyes narrowed in confusion as Arthur loosened his grip on his arms. "Wh-where did it...go?"

"Where did what go?" Arthur asked, still perplexed beyond reason.

"I-there was this freaky monster made out of blood standing right behind you! Just a second ago! I swear, dude!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest as he straightened himself. "Oh, Alfred. Not that cursed imagination of yours again. There was nothing there. Its just been you and I the entire time.

"Okay, man. If anyone has a wicked imagination, its you. Aren't you always talking to your magical fairy friends that don't even exist?" Alfred countered, now on the defensive. "And besides, I know it was there! You're just blind!"

Arthur stood in place at a loss for words. Alfred had been the one person in their circle of friends that had never ridiculed him for his magical comrades. And now, here he stood, belittling him for his ability to see what others could not.

Before he could input his retort, Alfred went on. "And this is all your fault! Whatever you did with that freaky board in my house...its made things worse!"

Now Arthur had found his voice. This American was taking things rather far. And he would no doubt put him back in his place.

"Rubbish! You even told me the morning after, that all the odd sounds in your home had magically ceased because of what I had done!"

Alfred silenced himself, preparing for an intelligent comeback. Instead, he found Arthur was correct. He **had** thanked him. Numerous times for ridding his house of the ghosts that had plagued him.

And Arthur's intentions had naturally been good. He was just trying to help.

Alfred released the breath he had been holding, letting with it go the tension he felt.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just so tired, I'm hallucinating, or something..." He said, running a hand through his hair.

Arthur plopped down next to him. "Its all right." He paused, his eyes landing on Alfred. "Maybe you should try and get some sleep." When he noticed his mouth begin to open in protest, Arthur spoke up once more. "I can stay with you tonight. If that's what you wish."

Alfred closed his mouth, nodding in agreement.

At least the next day would be Saturday, meaning he could sleep in as long as he wanted. He knew it would be a long time before he could drift off after what he had just witnessed.

Yeah. I totally know this was kind of a boring chapter. But I promise it'll get better.

The next one I plan to make pretty creepy, so hopefully it'll work out!

See ya next time! ;)


	3. Deadly Message

Back with another chapter! I hope you guys like it! I tried pretty hard to make it scary, but, this one was kinda hard. I had to cram a lot of stuff in it, but I tried my best!

Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia. Even if I would like to own it for fracking America, too. LOVE HIM!

His sanity was slipping.

That's the only conclusion Alfred could come to. How else would he explain the odd occurences he had witnessed lately?

The first had of course been that incident with his tv a few weeks previous.

As if that hadn't been gruesome enough, a few mornings after, he had awoken to cockroaches crawling across his skin. Screaming, he had attempted to brush them off. However, they continued to trek mercilessly all over his body with no sign of stopping any time soon.

The visions had even ranged to a student's face literally rotting before him as she approached him to ask for help with her homework. He had cried out in terror before the classroom as a worm crawled out through her eye socket.

That's when things had become too much.

Something was off. He just knew it. Maybe all along, he had just been crazy. The ghosts never existed. It was something mental.

Alfred chuckled to himself as he downed another Budweiser.

Yeah. That was it. It was all in his head. All he needed was a shrink. That would fix everything.

Though, that meant he would actually need to leave his house. This seemed an unpleasant plan. The man had refused to leave his house since the school had deemed him unfit to teach until after he had sought professional help a week ago.

Now, he sat crouched in his chair, clutching his bottle of beer in one hand, while he clutched his untamed hair in the other.

His eyes landed on the phone next to him.

Lately, he had refused to see any of his friends, and they were not thrilled in the slightest. Arthur had undoubtedly told the others of his episode the night he had come over to investigate the odd chanting. And, this only piqued their concern for him.

Kiku had left voicemail, after voicemail, attempting to see if his best friend was all right.

Even Gilbert had shown up at his door shouting obscinities and threats so he would allow him to enter.

Everyone had in some way tried to make contact in vain.

Alfred wouldn't let anyone see him like this. He was cracking. And as if the emotional distress wasn't enough, it had clearly begun to take a physical toll on him. His eyes were blood shot, his hair gone uncombed for days.

There was a light dusting of a beard forming on his jawline, and he had resorted to wearing the same black sleeveless shirt, paired with his plain navy boxers day after day.

He remained glued in his chair, drinking until he would pass out. It was the only way he could feel somewhat sane anymore. Not to mention his last resort to get some rest.

He had long since given up on sleeping in his bed. It seemed the nightmares he had acquired were heightened in that room.

One night in particular seemed to stick with him.

He clearly recalled it, as if it had just happened a few moments ago.

The young American had slowly drifted off to sleep with an odd sense of normalcy. However, he had dreamt someone had begun to carve odd markings into his chest while he remained chained to his bed, unable to move. He even remembered how real the pain felt. Everything was so ridiculously vibrant in that dream, he swore to himself it was real.

It certainly didn't help his cause when he awoke to find a scramble of symbols etched into his skin.

When he had finally decided to tell someone of the instances he was coming in contact with, he had settled on Gilbert and Kiku. Arthur was out of the question after he had refused to believe him when that blood monster was coming after him.

And of course Ludwig would try and talk some sense into him. Tell him there was a logical explanation to everything.

And there was no way in hell he could tell Ivan. Knowing that crazed bastard, he would probably enjoy hearing Alfred recount his tales of torture.

So, they had all met up at Kiku's house, the small Asian had even gone to the trouble of cooking up hamburgers to try and get Alfred to eat.

Alfred took another swig of his beer, reminding himself of that day.

"All right, Alfred. What did you call us here for?" Kiku asked, taking a seat on the small futon in his living room.

When Alfred hesitated, Gilbert spoke up.

"Ah, come on, ya sissy! Just get on with it." He demanded, shoving a fistful of burger into his mouth.

Alfred gulped, the fear returning to him as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

"So, I had this really weird dream the other night, right? And...I dreamt this guy was-well-what I thought at first, was stabbing me in the chest."

Seeing the other two's disturbed expressions, Alfred let out a nervous laugh.

He then continued on, once more gaining the courage to recount the awful tale.

"Anyway, turns out he was marking something into my chest...or whatever..." He added, finally opening his shirt enough to reveal the odd symbols.

Kiku gasped, while Gilbert screeched, "Holy shit! What did you do?"

"I didn't do it!" Alfred shrieked, startling the other two men.

The blonde took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure as his gaze fell to the floor. "I think something's after me, dudes. I don't know who, or what. But something's after me. I keep seeing freakish things everywhere, and I can't sleep at night. I'm...totally scared to be in my own house."

When the other two remained silent, Alfred looked up to find both staring at him with wary expressions.

"What?"

Kiku and Gilbert exchanged uncomfortable glances before Kiku finally replied.

"Alfred, I think you should see a therapist. Something is not right."

This thought of course had already occured to Alfred. But hearing it come from Kiku's mouth seemed to spark a rage inside of him. Something was happening to him, and his friends believed he was insane? That he had done this to himself?

Alfred quickly jolted to his feet, wincing as he did so, the wound in his chest tearing slightly at the sudden movement. "You think I did this to myself? I don't even know what this shit means! And you seriously think I carved some shit I don't even know the meaning of into my own chest?"

Kiku remained silent, his eyes widening in shock at his friend's behavior. Alfred was not like this. Not in the least. He was never this quick to anger. Something was off.

Gilbert, on the other hand, matched his rage, jumping to his feet, and grabbing Alfred by the arm. "We're just looking out for you! Calm down! Its not our fault if you've lost your mind. We just want to help!"

Alfred was silent for a moment, his eyes fluttering from Gilbert, to Kiku, then back to Gilbert. Gilbert was sure for a moment that he had won. That Alfred would indeed come to his senses, sit back down, and discuss more of what had happened to him lately.

He was dead wrong.

Alfred immediately pried his hand from his arm, knocking him back in the process. As he turned to leave, he spoke to them one last time. "If you don't believe me, I'll deal with this on my own." And with that, he had stormed out through the front door.

Even now, he was unsure of why he had become so angry. His friends were clearly just concerned, spitballing ideas on how to help him. And at this point, he was sure they were right. He was crazy.

But, deep down, he knew he hadn't been the one to mangle his own chest. The markings inscribed were still evident, as if the passage of time meant nothing to the wound.

He jumped as the shriek of his cell phone flooded the room.

His blue eyes darted to the small object.

Kiku was calling. Again. Well, he'd just have to leave another voicemail. Alfred was in no mood to answer right now.

He took another swig of his beer, waiting for the ringtone to end. It eventually did, and Alfred found himself once again surrounded in silence.

That is, until he heard a small _ding _announce the presence of his phone once more.

He rolled his eyes, expecting to find the alert that Kiku had once again left him another message.

Instead, he found a text from Ludwig. Curious, he opened his phone to read it.

Alfred jumped slightly at the sound of glass shattering, and was only moderately aware he had dropped his beer in his state of shock.

There, on the screen in plain font read the words, 'Arthur's dead. You need to come to his house now.'

This couldn't be happening. His friend-no...brother was dead? What had happened?

He **had **to get over there.

As he jolted upright to head to his bedroom to change, Alfred hesitated. What of his vow to not leave the house? He was ashamed at the thought of facing all of his friends like this. Especially after how he had acted towards them.

He quickly shook his head, tossing the thought from his mind. Arthur was dead. He needed to be there. This was more important than his silly pride. Or lack there of.

He quickly stepped into his blue jeans, noting right away they fit rather loosely now.

Next he threw a plain white t-shirt over his head, and raked his fingers through his hair, trying his best to look less like someone who hadn't slept in days. Which he hadn't.

It took about fifteen minutes for him to arrive at the house. He found Ludwig's, and Kiku's cars both parked in front of the house. Police were scattered about, already having taped off the front yard.

Alfred quickly parked across the street, rushing over.

One of the cops halted him immediately. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? This is a crime scene."

"I...um..." Alfred hesitated, unsure of how to form his words exactly. He was still in such a state of shock, he was at a loss for words.

"He's with us."

Alfred turned his gaze to find Ludwig standing just by the front door. His expression was that of a somber one.

The policeman seemed as though he was about to protest when Ludwig spoke up once more.

"He was a close friend of Arthur's. The closest of any of us."

The officer was silent for a few moments, seeming to debate the legitimacy of this. Then, finally, he nodded in agreement, stalking off.

Alfred ducked under the 'do not cross' line, making his way over to Ludwig.

The taller man visibly stiffened as Alfred approached, and Alfred knew immediately it was from his appearance.

He forced a smile, feeling rather awkward at seeing the other man for the first time in what seemed like years.

"Hey, Ludwig. 'Sup?"

Ludwig seemed to shake the stupor from himself, guiding the American inside.

"Gilbert was the one who found him this morning." Ludwig began, ignoring Alfred's question. "He was going to tell Arthur that something was going on with you. Maybe try and get Arthur to force you out of your home."

Alfred nodded, his false smile fading as his gaze fell to the floor.

Ludwig continued as they approached the bedroom. "But, when he arrived, Arthur's front door was already open. So when Gilbert finally found him in his room, he was...dead."

Ludwig opened the door, ushering Alfred inside first.

An uneasy feeling crept over the blonde as he stepped inside.

His eyes wandered about the room. Arthur's body had long since been removed, and nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. The brit's bed had been made, and not a single article of clothing was out of place.

However, when his gaze flew to the right, there on the wall, he found painted in what appeared to be Arthur's blood, 'ALFRED' all across, spelled out numerous times.

A horrid cry rang throughout the room, sending chills down Alfred's spine. Until he realized it was coming from him.

Something was after him. And it wouldn't stop until he was dead.

Why do I feel like that wasn't as creepy as I wanted it to be?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

The next chapter will hopefully explain any questions you have from this one!


	4. Fiery Nightmare

_Man, I'm updating on this chapter rather fast. I'm just obsessed! And its so hard for me to write on my other ones. But I promise, I am. I'm working hard to continue. Just, I hate writer's block!_

_Anyway, on with it!_

_Disclaimer-I do not own Hetalia, DANGET!_

Alfred was vaguely aware of the fact that Ludwig had caught him as he fell to the floor. His gloved hands were now the only things keeping Alfred's body from seizing where he now sat.

His eyes remained glued to the wall, his name glaring back at him. He shook his head, shutting his eyes tight. "No! God no! No! No! NO NO NO NO NO!" He shrieked.

Ludwig's tender voice was attempting to comfort the man, telling him things would be all right. But Alfred was having none of it. Did he not see the man's name painted hundreds of times on the wall in Arthur's blood? Did it not ring odd to him that a pentagram had also been burnt into a spot next to his name?

This was some scary shit. And where the hell was Kiku? He had seen his car outside, right? How had he not come running when he heard Alfred's screams? There was no way he hadn't heard him.

"Its not real..." He jumped slightly at the voice, then realized it had come from him.

"Oh...its real..."

Alfred furrowed a brow at Ludwig's sinister voice. Why was he being so cruel? What happened to the gentle voice he had heard just a few moments ago?

His head slowly turned to find Ludwig still clutching tightly to him. His lips were curved into a tight smirk, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

He chuckled menacingly as Alfred attempted to wriggle from his grasp.

"Ludwig! What the hell is the matter with you?" Alfred demanded, desperation clouding his thoughts.

Ludwig didn't answer. His smile just grew wider as flames began to engulf his face, slowly melting it away to become that of a skull.

Alfred watched helplessly as the tendons, and muscles became evident, as well as bones. "Get off of me! Oh God! Help me!" He shrieked.

Ludwig laughed, his voice deepening to the point where Alfred was certain he was no longer the German man he had come to know.

"God can't help you now."

Alfred shut his eyes tight, crying out as his body trembled from the intense noise.

When he reopened them, he found he was no longer in Arthur's house. An overwhelmingly bright light greeted him, causing him to close his eyes once more, and slowly reopen them until they had adjusted.

There, he found Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert, Ivan, and shockingly, Arthur standing over him.

"He's waking up!" Gilbert announced, smacking Ludwig violently.

"Ja! I see that! Now will you stop hitting me?" The German man demanded, sidling away from his brother.

A small smile crept over Arthur's face as he stepped closer to Alfred.

"Hey, old chap. You feeling all right?"

Alfred, still quite puzzled at the blonde's presence before him, slowly nodded his head. He was about to reach out to touch him, as if that would prove his existence, when he felt a resistance on his arm.

When he turned his head to the side, he found that his arms had been strapped down to the bed he was laying on, as were his legs.

Panic seeped throughout his tired muscles as he stammered out, "Wh-what the hell? Where am I?"

The four before him exchanged uncomfortable glances, begging the other to be the one to bear the news.

It seemed Kiku was the one with the most courage as he addressed the blonde.

"You're in the hospital. We...had you committed..."

The last sentence rang in his head for what seemed like ages. _We...had you committed..._

He was in the psych ward? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was finding his name plastered all over Arthur's bedroom. Now, he was in a hospital bed with Arthur- no longer dead- before him? Nothing made sense. 

"You see," Kiku began. "After we hadn't heard from you in a while, Gilbert decided to come to your house, and force you out. When you didn't answer him, he knocked your door down."

Alfred watched as Gilbert shot him a sheepish glance, turning his gaze promptly away from him. "When I found you," Gilbert said, taking over. "You were carving some weird language into your arms with a broken beer bottle..."

Alfred looked once more to his arm. He hadn't noticed before, but just as Gilbert said, there, plain as day were bandages now soaked with blood coating his arms.

"No..." His voice sounded so broken, and weak. It tore into his own soul. They were right. Something **was** wrong with him. Maybe it was best he wasstuck here.

He felt a finger wipe a lone tear from his eye, and he looked up to find Arthur kneeling next to him.

"You'll be all right, chap. Just keep your head held high. We're all here for you."

Alfred furrowed a brow, not having heard a word the british man had spoken. "You...You're dead. How are you here right now?"

Arthur's eyes widened, clearly taken aback at his outburst. "What are you talking about? I'm right here."

Alfred shook his head. "No! I was at your house. There was blood all over." His frantic gaze then landed on Ludwig. "You! You told me Arthur was dead. You texted me. Remember?"

"Alfred...clearly he is not dead. You need to calm yourself..." Kiku began, the concern evident in his voice.

He felt as Arthur gently stroked his hair. "It was just a dream. You need not worry. I'm not going anywhere, all right?"

Alfred stared intensely at the man for a few moments, as if he would vanish before his eyes any minute. When he didn't, Alfred nodded, tears flooding his eyes again.

"You need to stop with this weird talking." Ivan spoke up. Even he looked uncomfortable. "You're starting to creep me out."

"Oh, why don't you go play in some snow, wanker? Can't you see he's stressed?" Came Arthur's impatient voice.

"I don't know what's happening to me, you guys..."

Alfred's shaky voice caused them all to focus on him once more. It was so unsettling to see the overly hyped man so calm. So broken. His once loud, showy voice had been reduced to almost a whimper as he spoke. It broke Arthur's heart to see him this way.

What was even more unsettling was how frail he looked laying on that accursed bed. He had lost so much weight. Arthur had noticed when they had first brought him to the hospital, as the paramedics lifted his shirt to see if any other wounds could be found, he could almost count every rib in his chest.

Anyone who knew the American knew his favorite thing to do was eat. Now, here he lay, reduced to having a feeding tube stuck into him just so he wouldn't starve to death.

"Hey, man. You're fine. You've got my awesomeness to stare at! Don't be so glum!"

Ludwig elbowed his brother in the side. Though he knew his intentions were undoubtedly good, Ludwig knew the last thing Alfred needed right now was Gilbert's endless banter.

Alfred, ignoring the man, sighed. He needed to tell them exactly what was going on. They already knew he was insane. What did he possibly have to lose?

"You all don't understand." As he turned his head back towards his friends, they noticed just how much of a shocking contrast his bright blue eyes made against the dark bags under them, that almost seemed like bruises. "I..." He stopped himself, unsure of how to voice his feelings. "It would be best...if you all left...don't come near me..."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. Now you just sound pathetic. Don't le-"

"You don't understand! I'm dangerous now." His piercing eyes dug into Ludwig, making him hold his breath in alarm.

Arthur chuckled nervously. "Oh come on. Now you're being silly. You just need to talk to someone about everything."

"You don't get it!" Alfred exclaimed, his patience withering away. Why didn't they understand? If he could hurt himself so easily, and not even remember, who's to say he wouldn't do the same to one of them? He had already had a dream in which Arthur had died. What if that was a sign? What if he would kill Arthur?

He couldn't bear it. They needed to let him be. Did nobody understand that?

The room fell silent in apprehension. They waited until someone had the courage to speak, to voice an opinion.

Finally, Ivan was the one to break the silence. "No."

On his face, was his usual smile. At first, Alfred wondered if he got some sadistic satisfaction from watching the man suffer. However, as he continued to scrutinize the tall Russian, he noticed this was his way of telling him he was there for Alfred. No matter what.

Ludwig turned back to face Alfred once more, nodding in agreement. "Ja. We won't leave you."

Gilbert smirked at his brother, then at Alfred. No way in hell was he budging either.

Kiku merely bowed. "Hai. I will do what I can to help."

That left Arthur.

Alfred turned his pleading eyes on the man next to him. But Arthur just shook his head.

"Oh, bollocks. Do you really think I would ditch you right now? I didn't leave your side back when old frog face was treating you so unkindly, and I won't do it now either."

He paused when Alfred continued to look on in anguish.

"Besides, you can't hurt anyone while you're all strapped up. So let it go. You need us, so quit acting all brave. Its actually starting to piss me off."

Now **that **sounded more like Arthur. Alfred couldn't help but smile at this.

He did have a point. Its not like he could exactly harm anyone in his current state. And even if he was in fact no longer strapped to the bed, its not like he had the strength to overpower anyone right now.

Finally, he nodded slowly.

They continued to talk on for a while, updating Alfred on all he had missed in his fit to rid himself of the world entirely. Listening to all of them talk, Alfred almost forgot he was confined to a bed, that he was indeed insane.

Key word being, almost.

After a few more hours, a nurse entered the room with a plastic cup, and some pills in her gloved hand.

"All right, Mr. Jones. Its time for your medication." She smiled softly as he visibly winced at the word, 'medication'.

She then turned her attention to the others in the room.

"If you would please, visiting hours are over, and I'm sure Mr. Jones is rather exhausted." She paused as they all stared on at her. "You can come back tomorrow."

Reluctantly, one by one, the four stated their goodbyes. Arthur seemed the most unwilling to leave, as he pet Alfred's head soothingly one last time.

"You'll be all right. We'll be back first thing in the morning. Don't you worry."

And with that, they grudgingly left.

Alfred almost smiled at how resiliant they seemed. After everything that had gone on, they still cared for him. It seemed odd, and even now it was difficult to grasp.

Once the two were alone, the nurse fluttered over. "All right, Mr. Jones. Dr. Thompson believes we can take these restraints off now. I think you'd probably be a lot more comfortable without them." Her smile was soft and sweet.

Alfred noted the way she pursed her lips slightly as she unbuckled the thick brown straps on the bed. Her wavy brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and her green eyes flashed to him a few times as she made meaningless conversation with him.

"Now, if you'll just sit up, I'll give you these pills for you to swallow. They should help you sleep."

He quickly obliged, thankful for the thought of sleep. A thought then occured to him after he had swallowed the second capsule. "Will I...dream with these?" The question seemed stupid to even him, and he wondered what flowed through the nurse's mind as her smile faltered for just a moment.

She quickly shook her head, regaining her calm demeanor once more. "No. You should sleep rather peacefully."

"Good." Came his weak reply. He let out a small sigh. He knew these pills weren't just a sedative. They were some anti-psychotic pills. But hey, if they helped, he wasn't sure he even cared at the moment.

His eyes caught the name on the small plate on her chest. "Herdervary...hm...what nationality is that name?"

Her eyes followed his to the nametag. She then grinned as she helped him lay back down in his bed. "Hungarian."

He knodded knowingly, and watched as her face began to blur before him.

Before he knew it, sleep had claimed him.

_Soooo...Hopefully ya'll liked it. And see? No worries! Arthur didn't __**really**__ die! I couldn't kill him off!...or __**could **__I?_

_Muahahahahaha! =P_

_Just kidding...I couldn't. _

_Please leave me feedback!_


	5. Meeting With Evil

_Hey! Back with a new chapter! Hope you guys like it! This is almost another introductory chapter, so its not the best. But, I had to make it for the plot to start unfolding. _

_And no worries! Ludwig, Gilbert, Kiku, and Ivan will make their appearances once more pretty soon. Just not quite yet. _

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia. POO!_

Arthur raced through the different wards of the hospital, flying past nurses and doctors who stared after him.

He needed to reach Alfred. Something was wrong.

When the nurse in charge of Alfred had called him so early, it was a shock to him.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Kirkland?" Her voice stung with an accent Arthur didn't recognize.

"Yes." He merely answered, still feeling rather groggy. The sound of his phone ringing had been the thing to wake him up this morning, so his mind was still having trouble deciphering the woman's words.

"Um...It says here that you're the person to contact if something changes in Mr. Jones's condition." She paused, as if waiting for the man on the other line to deny her statement. When he didn't, she continued. "There's something terribly wrong with Alfred today."

Now Arthur was wide awake. He shot up straight in bed, curling the fingers around his phone tighter. "What do you mean?"

She hadn't given him much information. Just asked that he came to the hospital as soon as possible.

Now, here he was, marching up to the nurse's station that marked the beginning of the psych ward.

"Hello. I'm Arthur Kirkland. Nurse Herdervary rang me this morning. She said something was going on with Alfred Jones?"

The nurse before him nodded slightly, the friendly smile on her face vanishing instantly at the mention of Alfred.

"Um. Yes...let me ring nurse Herdervary for you right now. She'll be able to give you some more information." She then gestured towards a few chairs just to the south of the desk. "You may have a seat while you wait."

He waited, debating whether or not to demand right then and there what was going on. Instead Arthur merely nodded, hesitantly obliging as he seated himself in one of the metal chairs. The nurse's expression still unsettled him. Had something that awful really happened from the time he had left last night?

Alfred had seemed perfectly fine, other than the weak temperment he showcased. Except for that disturbing sight, the young man seemed rather normal. He had even laughed a few times at Gilbert's jokes, drabbling on about nonsense. He couldn't imagine him slipping back into the way he had been when Arthur had seen him entering the hospital.

He remembered clearly the despondent look in Alfred's eyes as they had wheeled him into the emergency room. He didn't look like himself. Just an empty shell. He didn't even respond to Arthur as he spoke. And the most chilling thing of all was the way he stared straight ahead. It seemed as though no one existed to the man atop the gurney.

Arthur immediately shook the memory from his mind. He couldn't think like that. It had to be something along the lines of Alfred refusing to eat the hospital food. Yeah. That was it. He was probably just giving them a tough time, demanding they bring him a hamburger and some french fries.

A small smile was brought to his lips at this conclusion. However ridiculous the delusion he had created for himself, he couldn't allow his mind to wander to the worst possible scenarios.

He didn't smile for long, however. A loud shriek snapped him from his thoughts, causing him to look up at once to find the nurse he had spoken to previous, staring wide-eyed at another woman with long brown hair. Her green scrubs were splattered with what appeared to be blood. He winced as he watched her slowly fall to the floor. Luckily, one of the other nurse's caught her before she hit the cold tile beneath her. He was shocked by the state of her injuries that she had even made it that far at all.

It seemed several stab wounds littered her midsection, while scratches and bite marks were scattered all over her arms. It was an eerie sight to say the least.

"Nurse Herdevary!" One of them cried out. She immediately reached for the phone before her.

But Arthur didn't hear what she said as she picked up the receiver. Nurse Herdevary was the one in charge of Alfred. What if...?

No. It had nothing to do with him. And to prove it, Arthur would find out on his own what the bloody hell was going on.

He darted past the frantic nurses. A few called out to him, beckoning him not to go back unattended. But none followed after. They were too busy dealing with the injured woman.

He soon stumbled upon the room Alfred had been assigned. His eyes fluttered downwards to find blood seeping out from under the door.

This didn't look good.

Cautiously, he turned the knob on the door. Lucklily, it had been left unlocked.

As he pushed the door to accomodate his lean build, he found Alfred seated on the bed, his back turned to him. Blood covered the sheets, and when Arthur followed the trail with his gaze, he found the body of a doctor laying on the floor. It seemed he had been stabbed multiple times. One of his eyes was missing, while the other was wide open, still reflecting the fear the man must have felt before he met his untimely end.

The most disturbing fact of all had to be the cross shoved in the dead man's mouth. Half of the silver structure was buried deep in his throat.

"What the..." He gasped, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth that had fallen agape at the sight. He forced himself to turn away from the gruesome picture. Unfortunately, no matter where he looked, the image stood still in his brain. This was a nightmare. Like one of those gory horror films you go to see with your friends around Halloween, just to lay awake at night for weeks trying to shove the memory from your mind.

_"Shut up, you British bastard. Heh..heh...heh...Don't you ever stop talking?"_

Arthur jumped slightly at the voice. The sound was sinister, gravelly almost. His eyes searched for the source. It couldn't be Alfred. That sounded nothing like him. But, no one else seemed to be present. What was going on?

He watched in horror as Alfred turned his head very slowly, his blackened eyes resting on him. His lips were curved in an amused smirk, and his face had splotches of blood coating it.

At the sight of his piercing stare, Arthur felt as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

He cleared his throat quickly, finding his voice again. "Alfred...why did you kill that man? What is going on with you?"

Alfred chuckled at this question. That in itself was enough to frighten Arthur. However, the American did not seem through with his display. He cracked his head to the side, a sickening pop sounding from it.

_"Oh...Alfred can't come out to play right now...too bad for you..."_

"What the hell are you talking about, Alfred? Stop this nonsense at once!"

This earned him a cackle from the man before him, who had now erected his body in such a way, that it threatened to extract the ribs from his midsection.

_"You don't listen very well, do you...Arthur? All right...if you want an answer, I'll give it to you..."_

The younger of the two brought a finger up to his mouth, licking the blood from it.

_"I just...love the sounds humans make when I cut them open." _

His sickening grin grew at this, laughing as he lapped more of the blood up from his hand. Once he had finished, he sat still for a few moments, and the British man wondered what would happen next.

Arthur cringed visibly as the blonde jumped from the bed without warning, crawling towards him. Alfred cocked his head to the side, not even bothering to raise himself to the other man's level.

_"Did you enjoy it, Arthur?" _He breathed, his tone almost dancing with amusement.

Losing patience, and the will to be near this odd sight any longer, Arthur decided to make his escape. "Enjoy what? Quit with the games, Alfred. You just need some medication. I'll go get some-"

As Arthur turned towards the door, he felt a hand seize his ankle. Slowly, he turned his head to find Alfred staring intensely at him, his sadistic grin widening as he tightened his grip until a sickening crunch told Arthur the bone had been cracked.

The Englishman let out a cry of pain, falling to the floor. And judging from the expression on Alfred's face, he had him exactly where he wanted Arthur to be.

_"Its not Godly to kill, Arthur. You should have known better...You naughty, naughty boy." _

Green eyes widened in shock. Arthur almost didn't feel the pain in his ankle at this outburst. How the bloody hell did he know about that? No one knew...no one. He hadn't told a single soul, and now here sat Alfred, making him believe otherwise.

More sickening cracks resounded from Alfred's bones as he snapped himself upright, now crouching before his friend. He shuffled closer, teeth poking from the corners of his mouth.

Arthur shut his eyes tight, unwilling to stare at his inhuman eyes. This didn't seem right. There was something almost predatory about the man's movements before him.

He felt as Alfred's tongue slid across his cheek. Okay...this was getting really odd. Why the hell was he licking Arthur? As outgoing as he may have been, Alfred was never one to try and pass a move on anyone...and as far as Arthur knew, the female species more suited his desire. A little too much so at times.

He felt as Alfred drew closer, his hot breath staining his cheek. This was it. He was going to die. Die by the hand of his brother. Just like the doctor.

He waited for the iminent pain. But, it never came. He opened his eyes just enough to peer through his long lashes.

What he saw made him open them further. Alfred had both hands grasped on either side of his head tightly. It almost looked as though he might tear his hair out. His face was contorted in a mixture of what was clearly fear, desperation...and guilt?

"Get out of my head, damnet! Leave me alone!"

When his blue eyes locked on Arthur's, tears began to flow down his cheeks. "Please help me...Arthur...Please!"

Arthur reminded frozen, uncertain of what to do. A moment ago, he had been sure Alfred would kill him with his bare hands. Now here he sat, begging for his help? Had he missed something? There was no way in hell Alfred could be this insane. How had he switched personalities so quickly?

He watched as the blonde crumpled before him, curling into an impossibly small ball.

How could he ignore him like this? Despite the horrid pain emanating from his ankle, Arthur scooted himself over to the man, bringing his head into his lap while he stroked his hair.

"I will, all right? Just tell me what's going on."

Alfred shook his head, choking on his pitiful sobs.

"Shh..." The elder man cooed. "You have to tell me what's happening to you. Otherwise I cannot help."

It seemed this stirred the American. Unfortunately, Arthur could hear as foot steps began to close in on the room. He just prayed Alfred would have enough time to explain.

"There's a..." Another sob racked his body as he attempted to sit up to face the other man. Now Arthur could clearly see the man's bare chest. Fresh markings had been carved all across it. Some were running thick with blood. How had he done this to himself? 

Arthur waited, almost impatiently. He begged Alfred with his eyes to continue. He needed to know what he was dealing with here. How the hell did Alfred expect him to help if he wouldn't give him any answers?

"I'm so scared, Arthur! I'm so scared...something evil is inside...me..."

And with that, Alfred's body fell limp to the floor. The British man was startled for the moment. However, he figured he had collapsed from sheer exhaustion. As if on cue, the door to the room thrashed open, barely missing Arthur as it did so.

It was then that he noticed, etched into the wall hundreds of times was a specific date that hit Arthur like a sack of bricks.

It was the day he had brought his ouija board to Alfred's house...

The day he had involuntarily invited something evil inside...something far beyond his control.

_Yeah...I feel like this chapter was kind of sad. _

_Anyway, in the actual story, the italics are used when the demonic being is speaking. Just so no one gets confused! _

_And, at least now Arthur knows what he's dealing with. But will that even help against a demon threatening to rip Alfred's body to shreds with interference? _

_You'll just have to keep reading to find out!_

_Please review! I wanna know what you think so far!_


	6. Desperate Pleading

_Yep! I'm back with another chapter! My goal is to upload a chapter a day, until this story is complete! Now that I say that, I'll probably fail...but, whatever!_

_You guys are so awesome at leaving me your feedback. I love to know how you feel about the direction this story is going in!_

_Anyway, enough chatter. _

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia. BUT I WANT TO OWN ALFRED! =P_

"I'm not lying!" Insisted an impatient Arthur as he slammed a fist down on the table in front of him.

The other four exchanged nervous glances. Arthur didn't usually get this way, so none was sure of the correct way to respond.

Finally, it was Ludwig who had gained the courage to speak. "Look, Arthur. You need to think about this logically. I don't want to believe Alfred killed that man either. But, you can't delude yourself into thinking that he's been possessed by...what did you say it was again?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. If he hated anything, it was having to repeat himself. "A demon. And look at the facts." He paused, taking a sip of the tea before him. "Alfred has never been the violent type. So why all of a sudden would he gruesomely murder a doctor...with a cross?"

Silence fell over the group. Arthur **did **have a point there. Alfred certainly wasn't one to head to mass every week, but he was a religious man. It did strike odd that he would kill another human being. Especially in the form he had.

Finally, it was Kiku who spoke. "With schizophrenia, the subject in question can begin to hear voices. He may have been doing the work of some imaginary person in his head."

"He's not crazy! Bloody hell! If you'll just listen to me. How does that explain the date of our seance at his house being carved into his door? Even he's admitted he's possessed!"

When the others still did not look convinced, an idea flashed through Arthur's mind. "Fine. If you still insist on not believing me, you'll just have to come see for yourselves."

Though everyone was rather wary at the idea of seeing their friend in such a state of disarray, no one voiced their objections. They had settled on meeting at the hospital a week from then. The staff had told Arthur no one would be allowed to visit Alfred until then, and only two at a time could see him.

Arthur was shocked they were even allowing him to have visitors after what had happened. But he would take what he could get at this point.

The days seemed to drag on as Arthur remained shut tight in his house. Being a writer was such a drag sometimes. And what was worse, he couldn't focus on the next chapter for his book, not with Alfred's pleading expression stuck in his head.

Most of the time he spent his hours painting. It was one thing he could turn to to pass the time.

This seemed to work as finally the day had arrived to visit Alfred. Arthur almost jumped from his bed, dressing quickly, and racing out the door.

Of course visiting hours didn't begin for another hour or so. So, Arthur decided to grab some coffee on the way. When he did arrive on the fourth floor, striding through the hallway, he found Ivan's silent form seated in one of the chairs. After checking in, he took a seat next to the Russian.

"Hello, Ivan. Glad you could make it." He greeted.

Ivan returned the small smile Arthur had offered. "I couldn't abandon a friend in need." He then paused, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "And besides," He continued in a voice just above a whisper. "I believe you."

Arthur felt his body jump at the last three words. He believed him? He actually believed that there was a demon tormenting Alfred as well? He almost grinned at the thought. However, that brought up another point. One Arthur was not willing to let go.

"So, you thought the same thing, but you didn't say anything when the others were ganging up on me at lunch?"

"Da." Came the Russian's simple reply. He clearly did not understand the reasoning behind Arhur's anger.

"Why didn't you agree with me? Maybe they wouldn't have looked at me so odd."

Ivan shrugged. "I guess I already don't feel like much of a part of the gang. I just didn't want to make myself more of an outcast, I guess."

The blonde couldn't help but feel the anger filter out from his body. How could he remain bitter towards a man who had always felt himself a castaway?

"Hello." Greeted a third voice. Upon his gaze following in the direction it had come from, Arthur found Gilbert, Kiku, and Ludwig. Gilbert seemed the most eager of the three, an ambitious smirk spread across his face. Ludwig and Kiku definitely looked hesitant, and he was sure they still had doubts about seeing Alfred in the state he had described the previous week.

"All right!" Gilbert shouted, approaching Ivan and Arthur. "Who's ready to see ol' crazy boy?"

"Gilbert!" Ludwig yelled, his voice cracking with embarrassment.

Gilbert turned his eyes on his brother, still not seeing anything wrong with his question. "What? Chill out, Luddie. I can't help it I'm excited to see my bud again!"

"Yes, Gilbert. We know." Kiku said, seating himself in one of the chairs as well. "But you need not call him such names."

The elder German folded his arms across his chest defiantly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. **Geez**!"

The party fell silent until one of the nurses approached the five. "All right. Mr. Jones is ready to see you. However, only two can visit at a time. When you get in there, just have a seat in one of the chairs provided. Do not go any closer to him. And whatever you do," Her brown eyes narrowed, bearing into theirs. "Do **not **mention anything religious. Whatsoever."

At this rule, the others couldn't help but feel puzzled at. Except Ivan and Arthur who figured this just proved their theory. It was decided Arthur would go in first since he had been the last to see Alfred. Much to Gilbert's dismay, though, he was no chosen to come along. His loud, obnoxious behavior would undoubtedly be too much for the American to handle.

Instead, Arthur chose Ludwig. Since he was the most skeptical, Arthur wanted him to be the one to join him.

The nurse that had spoken to them earlier led them off down the hall. It seemed they had moved Alfred's room further down. As they drew closer, the nurse decided to give them another warning.

"Now, your friend is heavily sedated, and strapped down to his bed. So don't be alarmed when you go in. Its the only way to be sure he won't have another episode like before."

The other two nodded, not surprised in the least.

When they arrived just outside the room, Arthur noticed a guard standing just by the door. The nurse waved him to the side, and he quickly obliged. Approaching the steel structure, she input a code. When the door opened, she quickly ushered them in, shutting it behind them.

"You have fifteen minutes. We'll be right outside if anything goes wrong, all right?" They heard the woman call.

Both shouted back their understandings, and went to take their seats.

It seemed Alfred had lost even more weight since the last time Arthur had seen him. The bones in his cheeks were much more prominent, giving him the appearance of someone on the verge of death. He could tell it pained Ludwig to see him this way. The German flinched as he took in the bandages coating almost every inch of his body.

"Hey, Alfred...I came back to see you." Arthur began, his voice gentle, so as to not startle the fragile blonde. "I brought Ludwig, see?"

Alfred slowly turned his head to find the two. His weak smile indicated it was indeed him in control. Thank God...

Arthur let out a sigh of relief. "How are you feeling today?"

There was a moment of silence as Alfred seemed to ponder that question for a moment. "Do you mean physically, or mentally?" He let out a small chuckle that sounded more like a cough than anything.

Arthur knew he was trying to dispell their worries, but to see, and hear him like this, it was heartbreaking. He decided to change the topic. "Hey, chap? You look so skinny. Haven't you been eating like a pig? You love food." His tone was pleasant despite the feeling of utter dismay he felt.

The smile from Alfred's face disappeared as he turned his gaze from the two next to him. He slowly shook his head, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Well, why not?" Now it was Ludwig who was speaking. Arthur was glad. Alfred needed to know they were **both **here for him.

This didn't seem to phase the frail man before them as he whispered the words that tore into Arthur's soul like a knife. "I just want to die..."

Oookay...so, maybe this hadn't been one of Arthur's best ideas. Ludwig's face now reflected the hopelessness he felt. "Why the hell would you say that?" He asked.

Alfred's eyes slowly found their's once more. "I can't stop it, guys. I just can't do it...I'm so tired of fighting..."

"Fighting what?" Ludwig asked. The sideways glance he made towards Arthur told him he knew exactly what Alfred's response would be.

"Th...the...whatever the hell it is...whatever we brought into my house that day! What if I kill more people? I can't do it. I just can't go on living like this!" Now Alfred had lost whatever composure he had mustered up. A constant stream of tears cascaded down his face. This was awful. Arthur wasn't even sure he wanted the others to see him like this. He was surprised by Ludwig's face, he hadn't broken into tears yet.

And God only knew what Gilbert would do. He tried to act brave about everything going on, but Alfred was the closest to Gilbert, besides Ludwig of course. He was the only other person he would hang out with by themselves. Hearing Alfred talk of his plans to starve himself to death would surely kill the German.

"Quit acting so helpless!" Arthur tensed at Ludwig's raised voice. "All you need is to take your medication, and eat! You'll be fine! But you're pissing me off with this pathetic act! This isn't the Alfred I know!"

Arthur was about to reprimand the blonde haired man, but Alfred beat him to the punch.

"The Alfred you know...is almost gone. He's taking over, guys. There's nothing I can do anymore. I've tried fighting him off, but that almost seems to give him more power...I...black out so much now. Sometimes I wake up, and I'll be sitting in a corner, or burning weird marks into my body with frayed wires."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. This was definitely bigger than what he had hoped for. Alfred was strong-willed, and if he was having trouble putting up a fight, this entity was definitely powerful.

"Alfred. I need for you to let him take over now."

Alfred's eyes widened as he froze. "No...I c-can't...Are you crazy?"

Arthur just stared on. He needed information, and the only one he could get it from, would be the demon clutching onto Alfred's soul.

"Please, Al. You asked me to help you. I can't do that if you won't cooperate. Besides, we're both right here. If anything happens, we'll keep you from hurting yourself, or anyone else."

The blonde still didn't look fully convinced. But, he shut his eyes slowly. An eternity seemed to drag by, and Arthur was beginning to lose hope. But then, Alfred began to twitch, his eyelids tightening. Then, he began to shift, almost as if trying to get away from something only seen by him. This went on for a few more moments, until he finally stilled.

Ludwig chanced a glance in Arthur's direction, his expression enough to speak how puzzled he felt. Arthur was about to explain, when Alfred's eyes shot open.

When they gazed upon him once more, they were blackened, red tinting the whites of his eyes.

"_So, you decided to pay me another visit, huh, Arthur?" _He then shifted his attention on the German seated next to the British man. "_Ah, what's this? Ludwig came out to play, too? Isn't this nice?" _He licked his lips in obvious satisfaction.

Arthur was in no mood to play games. "Who are you?" He asked, getting straight to the point. They didn't have much time left to visit, and he needed to know what he was dealing with.

A cackle sounded from the American's throat, and he muttered something Arthur couldn't understand. When he glanced at Ludwig, however, the blonde was frozen, his eyes widened. A cold sweat had begun to form on his forehead.

"What? What is it?"

Ludwig slowly turned to Arthur, terror still evident on his face. "He said...Devil's knecht..."

"Which means?" Arthur urged him on.

"It means..." Ludwig hesitated, wiping some of the sweat from his brow, and watching as Alfred, or what had been Alfred, stared mercilessly at the German. "You were right..."

_Oooo. Spooky. Well, at least he has Ludwig, and Ivan on board. But will Gilbert, and Kiku be so apt to believe them? _

_THEY BETTA!_

_Please leave me your comments! You guys rock for reading this!_


	7. Crucial Deadline

_All right. I'm seriously loving these reviews! It definitely makes me happy you guys are enjoying it. And that it is indeed kinda creepy. That's definitely meh goal! _

_Anyway, on with it, shall we? _

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia...blah blah blah..._

"Oh bollocks! Quit being all mysterious and tell me what the hell 'knecht' means!" Arthur demanded. His impatience was getting the best of him, and from the sickening smirk spreading across Alfred's lips, the entity that had possessed him was clearly enjoying it.

Ludwig remained frozen for a moment. But on a whim, startling Arthur, he hopped up from his seat, turning for the door. "I have to get out of here." His German accent had thickened as he strode for the door.

But as he reached for the door, Alfred's voice stopped him in his tracks. _"You know I'm coming after you next, don't you Ludwig? You can feel it? Can't you? That's why you're so afraid." _

Ludwig slowly turned, his eyes wide as saucers now. Arthur was sure he had never seen him like this before. It started to unnerve him.

Alfred licked his lips again, eyeing his own body for the moment. "_Yes. Once I'm through with this pig, I'll come for you. It makes me so excited to know I'll have the body of another, very handsome man." _

This was becoming extremely uncomfortable. And why the hell was he saying this to Ludwig? Why go after him? It didn't make sense. Though, it also made no sense he had possessed Alfred.

Arthur saw the horrified look on Ludwig's face. He had been paralyzed where he stood. "Ludwig, calm down. He's just saying these things to get to you. Calm yourself. We're here to save Alfred. Not run like some terrified little children." When Ludwig, at a painfully slow rate, finally reclaimed his seat next to the British man, Arthur continued on, focusing his next question on the entity. "All right. If you won't tell me your name, then why go after Alfred? What was your motive behind this?"

A crackling sound was heard as Alfred snapped his head in an almost impossible manner. "_Motive? You use such stuffy language." _He laughed once more as if this was all a joke. Arthur wasn't even sure at this point he wanted to know who, or better yet what, this was that had taken Alfred from them. Then, Alfred's eyes widened, staring deeply at the two next to him. _"Interficiam omnes, Interficiam omnes, __**Interficiam omnes**__! Ha ha ha ha!"_

Ludwig turned to Arthur once more. Now it was his turn to be left in the dark. "That language...what is it?"

Arthur's eyes remained glued straight ahead. "Latin." He answered simply. His voice lacked any emotion, and this unsettled Ludwig greatly. But not as much as Arthur. He understood completely what had come from Alfred's lips. Did he dare tell Ludwig?

As if reading his thoughts, Ludwig asked the question he had been dreading to hear. "What does it mean?"

"'I kill them all'. That's what he said."

Ludwig's eyes narrowed at the man, certain he couldn't have heard him correctly. "What did you say?"

_"You heard him, didn't you...Luddie? Don't be such a pussy." _When Ludwig turned back to face the blonde laying flat on the bed, he began to laugh once more. As he began to lean towards the German man, ready to put his face just inches in front of him, he stopped suddenly, and a flash of blue permeated black as a cry rang through the room.

"**Stop it!**" Shouted Alfred's voice. He shut his eyes tight, trying desperately to regain control. Arthur's heart ached for him, watching him struggle.

_"Stop trying to interfere!" _

"**Go away!**" This was the oddest sight unfolding before them. It looked as though Alfred had begun to argue with himself in different voices, fighting against the straps that bound him to the bed. It seemed he was just beginning to win, when a hideous shriek resounded from his body. As he opened his eyes once more, the two could tell Alfred had lost the battle.

_"Stay out of this, you clueless human. You have no idea who you're dealing with." _Though his words were indeed threatening, a smile stained his features.

As if coming to the rescue, the door beeped open as the nurse peered inside.

"Visitation is over for you two. Its time to leave." She then shot a glance in Alfred's direction. A shiver made its way down her spine, and she quickly stepped out of the room, holding the door open.

_"See ya tomorrow." _Came the demon's taunting voice, just before they exited the room.

Once the two had rejoined the group, Ivan, Gilbert, and Kiku shot up from their chairs.

"So, how is he?" Gilbert asked.

Just when Arthur opened his mouth to speak, Kiku raised a hand, halting him in his tracks. "There is no need to speak. I can tell by your faces the answer."

Gilbert chanced a glance at his brother who's gaze remained glued to the floor. He quickly stepped over to him, taking his head in his hands. "Brother, what is it?" This was definitely a rare occasion. Usually, the silver-haired man was not so understanding and kind. But judging from the horrified expression on Ludwig's face, this was a serious matter they were dealing with.

Ludwig's blue eyes matched crimson for a moment as he quietly stated, "He's possessed, Gil. And whatever it is...its not human."

Gilbert visibly shuddered. This was so unlike Ludwig. He was never one to cower in fear. And what the hell was he talking about? Hadn't he been completely adament just before going in that this was nothing paranormal?

He turned his frantic gaze in the direction of the only other person who could answer his questions. "What the hell happened in there, Arthur? What is Ludwig going on about?"

"Exactly what I told you last week. But no one believed me. Alfred's possessed. And clearly after seeing him, Ludwig's on board with this theory as well." The british man explained, gesturing slightly to the blonde before Gilbert.

"Excuse me."

The five turned to find the nurse from before approaching them. When she had their attention, she proceeded on. "I don't think it would be such a good idea for anyone else to visit Mr. Jones today. He's having another episode, and I think seeing too many people will just upset him." When no one said anything in response, she opened her mouth to speak again. "You can always come back tomorrow and see him." She flashed them all a small smile, then strode off.

It didn't look as though anyone was disappointed with this change in plans. Whatever was going on, the remaining three who hadn't seen Alfred were certain they weren't prepared just yet to see what the other two had witnessed.

As they made their way out to their cars, they had decided they would rejoin at the hospital the following day. Once Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Ivan were released from work, they would meet up, and allow Gilbert and Ivan to see Alfred. This wasn't just about proving a point anymore. Maybe if they rotated visitors, they could find out more information about the demon lurking inside of their friend. And offer him some much needed moral support.

Arthur had already planned to contact a nearby priest. He had been doing research lately on ways to expel demons from the bodies of humans. It seemed the main way to do so was in a ritual called an 'exorcism'. This ritual was most popularly carried out by Catholic priests, and Arthur wanted to do this thing right. He scheduled different times to meet with priests all over the area. He had to find one with a good track record, and a good amount of experience. They just **had **to get this thing out of Alfred before he died.

The next day arrived, and it was with a hesitant attitude that the five met up in the waiting area of the psych ward. Today was the day they sent Gilbert and Ivan in.

As they followed the nurse towards the room, the doctor in charge came out to meet the remaining three. "Hello. You must be friends of Alfred Jones's, correct?" When they nodded, he continued. "If you would like to follow me, I want to show you something."

"What is it?" Kiku asked, his voice reflecting the reluctance the other two felt.

Instead of answering, the doctor just beckoned them to follow. Once they had arrived inside his office, he offered them the seats on the opposite side of the desk he had claimed. The placard atop the magnificent oak desk read, 'Dr. Thompson'. There were a few personal items scattered amongst the filth of papers coating the wooden structure. However, the thing that caught the eyes of the three friends was the small television screen showing Alfred's room.

"Um, Dr. Thompson, with all due respect, why did you have us come in here?" inquired a rather confused Arthur.

The graying man before him remained silent for a moment. When he did speak, it was in a gentle tone. "To be honest, I want to make sure your friends remain unharmed in there. After what happened to the nurse that had been in charge of Alfred before was injured, and a doctor was...killed, I was shocked nurse Johnson allowed you to see him at all yesterday." There was a slight delay as he seemed unwilling to continue. But when they seemed to urge them on with their expressions, he went on. "And, to be honest, this may be the last time you see him at all. His prognosis isn't looking good. He hasn't eaten in days."

"So, stick a feeding tube in him! Force him to eat! Do something!" Arthur yelled, rising from his seat, and pounding both fists on the desk. "Don't just let him sit there and waste away!"

Ludwig placed a hand on one of Arthur's arms from where he sat in his chair in an attempt to calm him. "Arthur, please calm down. Just listen to what the man has to say."

Arthur, obviously unwillingly, sat himself in his seat once more. His emerald eyes shimmered with an unspoken fury as he waited for the doctor to progress in his report.

"Anyway," He said, clearing his throat. "We can't insert a feeding tube into Alfred's body without his consent. And he has refused countless time. Without any blood relatives, he is his own guardian. And we legally can not go against his wishes."

"I'm his brother." Arthur asserted, startling the other four in the small office.

The doctor furrowed a brow at the blonde. "Are you his blood related to Alfred?"

Arthur nodded his head, as his heart pounded unforgivingly in his chest. He tried his best to look as convincing as possible. "I'm his half brother."

Dr. Thompson nodded, a strange look still on his face. "Why was this not brought to my attention sooner?"

He had been waiting for this question. The Englishman just wasn't sure his next answer would persuade the man before him. But it was all he could muster up in such a short time. "Alfred didn't wish for me too. I guess he thought I would be embarrassed I was related to someone confined to a mental hospital."

The conversation seemed to be put on hold as Dr. Thomspon searched Arthur's face for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, when he did vocalize his thoughts, he stated directly at the blonde man, "If I find out this isn't the truth, Mr. Kirkland, I will be forced to have you arrested. You understand, correct?"

Arthur nodded. "Of course."

Unwilling to waste any time, the gray-haired man stood to his feet. "All right. Then, before its too late, I had better head to his room to have that inserted." Before he took his exit, he turned back to the three. "You three can stay here if you like, and watch your friends on the monitor, just in case something doesn't go right with this procedure. I'm afraid if he finds a way to yank the tube out, there's nothing we can do to save him." And with that, he was gone.

When they were sure he was out of ear shot, Ludwig narrowed his eyes at Arthur. "Are you insane? Do you want to go to prison? What if they find out you aren't blood related? You dummkopf!"

"Look, it was the only way to buy us some time. I can't allow for Alfred to die. Especially not with it being my responsibility. I would very much rather I go to prison, then he starve himself to death. We're going to save him. We just have a deadline now."

His voice was rather calm, but inward, he was hysterical.

How could they save him in such little time? His eyes flew to the screen. It seemed the doctor hadn't arrived just yet. Probably still obtaining the supplies.

Arthur could tell Alfred was himself, even on the tiny screen. It seemed Gilbert and Ivan were unwilling to unleash the demon. And Alfred looked rather relieved. He looked so exhausted. He hardly moved at all. His eyes were even shut as he whispered his responses to his friends. Arthur could tell from Gilbert's face it was killing him. This had been a bad idea. Even Ivan looked distraught. Neither man's gaze stayed on the blonde for long. They would often look at the wall, or the bag of liquid hooked to Alfred's IV.

Arthur **had **to find a way to rescue Alfred from this hell he had come to experience. He just had to figure out how...

_Poor Alfred! He needs to slam down some hamburgers! _

_What'll happen? Will he survive in the next chapter, or will he indeed die from food deprevation? You'll just have to find out! Muahahaha!_

_Please leave me your feedback as always! You guys ROCK! =]_


	8. The First Try

_Hey guys! Back again! Muahahaha! This chapter's kinda sad...so I apologize in advance..._

_Anyway, on with it!_

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia...=[_

Alfred stared up at the ceiling. Fear had crept its way into his very core. Today was the day. Today was the day they would begin his long process of healing. Arthur had come a few days previous, closely followed by a priest clad in all black. It was difficult to understand the man as he explained the procedure of an exorcism. Alfred could feel the demon inside slowly snatching his consciousness away as the man talked on. However, he had heard when they threw in today's date as when they would begin.

One of the few things the blonde remembered hearing what that this ritual would take a few tries to actually fully rid him of the entity. His tired muscles trembled at the thought. But it was a better alternative to remaining here.

He felt as Arthur placed a monitor on his index finger. As he did so, he placed a hand atop Alfred's forehead, pausing to offer him a few words of encouragement. At least he would have his brother here. He wasn't even upset over the fact that Arthur had forced a feeding tube be inserted into him anymore. It would all be worth it. Soon, his life would hopefully go back to normal.

His mind flashed back to all the awful things he had done while trapped in this place. He had killed that doctor, and stabbed that poor nurse. Would he even be allowed to leave? Would they send him to jail once he was proved well enough to exit the hospital?

The American quickly shook the thought away. He couldn't think like that. Not now. Not when he was so close to being cured.

Now they were attaching wires to his temples to measure his brain activity. Alfred was sure he looked like something out of a syfy movie at this point. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. His heart raced, causing his chest to tighten in a rather uncomfortable manner. He needed to calm himself. Nothing bad would happen to him. Arthur would be right next to him the entire time, making sure he would remain okay.

'Everything's going to be all right...I need to just chill out.' He thought to himself.

_'You really believe that bullshit, don't you?' _

Alfred let out a small gasp as his eyes flew open. No matter how many times the evil soul inside of him made itself known, he still could not get used to it.

"Are you all right, Alfred?"

The blonde turned to find Arthur's emerald eyes narrowed in concern. He could tell today was taking even more of a strain on the British man. Though he would never admit it, Alfred could tell he hadn't slept in days. He was sure the bags under his eyes had bags. And his usually combed hair lay a ruffled mess. If the situation weren't so serious, Alfred most likely would have ridiculed him for the way he looked.

Instead, he nodded slowly, forcing a smile. "Yeah. Fine. Just a little tired."

Arthur still didn't look fully convinced, but he went finally turned his attention back to the screen before him.

_"Heh heh. You're so pathetic. You really think this is going to work, don't you?'_

'Shut up.' He thought. He just needed peace, and quiet. It was bad enough he was going to have to go through this ritual that was described as 'entirely unpleasant'. Why did this thing have to add to his anxiety.

_'You know, Alfred, even if they can get me out, I'll just go after one of your friends.'_

Alfred's eyes shut tighter as he tried to block the voice out. He was just messing with him. That was it. But he wouldn't let it win the battle. He was the hero! He would make sure none of his friends had to go through the same torture as him.

The entity seemed to ignore him as he went on. _'Hmm...which one should I choose? There's always Kiku. Or how about Gilbert? Ivan might be able to deal a considerable amount of damage. I could always use him to do my bidding.' _

'Shut up...'

_'Oh, and there's always that coward Ludwig. He seems pretty strong as well.' _

'I won't let you...'

_'And how could I forget? There's always Arthur. He would be the easiest to possess. He is unclean after all.' _

"Stop it!" This time, his shouting had become verbal. He wouldn't allow it. Never! This thing had gone too far.

"Alfred! What's the matter?"

Alfred looked to find Arthur, now kneeling beside him. When Alfred didn't respond for a moment, Arthur nodded in understanding. "Its all right, ol' chap. We'll have him out sooner than you know it." He brought his hand up to stroke his hair soothingly. Alfred had always loved when he did this as a kid, and he still hadn't outgrown it. "He won't be able to mess with you soon."

When Alfred nodded again to convey he had understood, Arthur glanced at this priest on the other side of the bed-ridden man.

As if on cue, the priest nodded. "If his vitals are at a normal rate, we can begin." There was a pause, and then Alfred turned to watch as the priest reached inside his robe.

His vision began to cloud, and Alfred knew all too well even before he had it in his hand, that the object the man before him had been searching for was a cross.

The blonde felt as his body began to twist, and turn, now out of his control as the priest began to chant a line from the bible.

They had already told him numerous times to let the demon come to the surface without any resistance. But it was such a hard habit to break, trying to fight it. He clenched his fists to the point where he felt as blood began to seep in between his fingers.

He felt as another hand pried his fingers open, releasing the tension in his joints. He stole a glance to find Arthur's hand in his own.

Though the man offered him an encouraging smile, his eyes reflected the trouble Alfred was sure he felt. Alfred wanted more than anything to tell him it would all be all right. But he had lost his voice. And slowly, the film he felt covering his eyes took his vision as well. Everything now belonged to the demon. He just prayed they would be all right when he woke up.

...

Arthur watched as the Alfred's pupils dilated to the point of covering is once, bright blue corneas. That meant the chanting had worked. It had brought the demon to the surface.

_"You called?" _It asked, clearly not feeling threatened in the slightest. The amusement in his voice turned Arthur's stomach as he retracted his hand.

"What is your name?" The raven-haired priest asked.

_"I non est, vos humano patheticus...heh heh heh." _

Arthur could feel his skin crawl at his gravelly tone. His voice was unlike anything he had ever heard before. It almost sounded like a roar to the blonde. So sinister, and laced with forbidden atrocity. As a child, when he had gone to church with his parents, and the priest had read the scripture out of Genesis, Arthur would sometimes imagine what the devil's voice would sound like when he had spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden. What he had come up with, he expected it to have the same quality as this. But somehow, this demon's voice seemed more frightening...more...evil.

The priest raised the cross in his hand, taking a step towards the bed.

_"Come any closer with that thing, and I'll shove it down your fucking throat!"_

This was the first time there wasn't even a trace of amusement found on Alfred's face. Maybe they **were **getting somewhere.

He watched as the black-haired man ignored the hideous demands leaking from Alfred's lips. He continued to hold the crucifix out towards the blonde on the bed, now struggling against the straps.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, I compel you to leave this man!" As he continued to yell it, the demon began to show its true hostility.

_"Quit chanting that shit! I'm going to tear your fucking eyes out, you worthless piece of trash!" _

As he kept on shrieking threats, he began to thrash all about, snapping one of the straps binding his legs.

Arthur's eyes darted to the screen next to him monitoring Alfred's blood pressure. "His blood pressure is rising to a rather dangerous level! We may want to stop soon!"

As if he hadn't heard Arthur, the priest continued to yell, now tossing holy water on Alfred's body as he cried out in pain. The strap holding his left arm down broke next.

"Did you hear me? Alfred's body can't handle much more of this! You said to stop when it became to much for him! You need to stop!" Now Arthur was becoming rather desperate.

"We need to push as far as we can go!" Came the priest's reply. He then turned his gaze back to the bible before him. With this pause, Arthur could hear clearly now, the demon chanting something in another language unfamiliar to him.

_"Dumnezeul tău nu are nici o putere__!"_

"What the bloody hell is this wanker saying now?"

Arthur was unsure for a minute if the priest even knew what it meant either. But then he answered, as if completely unphased, "'Your God has no power'. Now he's speaking Romanian. Definitely have a powerful demon here."

_"Dumnezeul tău nu are nici o puter__! I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR FUCKING BRAIN FROM YOUR FUCKING HEAD!"_

Alfred's body continued to thrash about, and the beeping on the monitor began to sound more frantic, as if warning them to cease the exorcism. But the priest continued on in his chanting of scripture. That is, until Alfred's eyes rolled back in his head, and his body was racked with violent tremors.

Arthur, having enough raced over, pushing the black-haired man away from the bed. "Stop this! Can't you see he's having a seizure? He could die if you keep going!" He then darted to the door, pounding on the metal structure. "We need help in here! Alfred's seizing!"

Before Arthur knew it, he had been carted from the room, as well as the priest. Arthur remained in the waiting room, until he had heard word Alfred's heart rate had decreased to a normal rhythm.

If this was going to happen every time they attempted this, he wasn't so sure Alfred's fragile body could hold up.

Arthur could only imagine how it would go when he told the others of how the first try went.

This was going to be a trying time...especially for him...

_Poor Alfred! Will he ever get better? Will Arthur be able to handle anymore of this stress? What will happen when he tells the others about the exorcism? _

_You'll just have to wait and fight out! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_


	9. Stories Untold

_Hey, guys! Back again! Sorry for the small break. Work's been killer. Anyway, I tried my best with this chapter, but I'm slightly half asleep...so, I apologize...But I wanted to get this up for you!_

_Anyways...I seriously love my reviews so far. You guys are so sweet! I love that you're liking the story. Please keep leaving them! It makes me happy to see!_

_All right...disclaimer time..._

_Disclaimer-I do not own Hetalia. But I want ARTHUR! Geez, I'm such a ho..._

_ENJOY!_

"So, let me get this straight. You let a priest do an exorcism on Alfred...which he almost died in, and...you're going to let him do it again?"Ludwig's face matched the disbelief oozing from his voice as he spoke.

Arthur sipped his coffee before giving his reply. "I know you all don't understand. But I've researched this. These exorcisms are the only way to rid a body of a demon." He paused as he searched all of their faces, knowing full well they couldn't argue with the next sentence he uttered. "Do you want to help Alfred, or not?"

"Of course we do! We just don't want him to die because some asshole doesn't know when to give him a break! And how the hell did you even get the staff at that hospital to agree to that?" Now it was Gilbert's turn to join in on the conversation.

Arthur sheepishly met Gilbert's eyes from across the table. "They didn't exactly..."

Ludwig's eyes enlarged, shocked at this. "You did it illegally?"

Arthur merely nodded.

"Arthur...that is very dangerous. Did they find out when you called them in to help?" Kiku asked, his dark eyes seeming to be the most forgiving of the three in front of him.

"No," He began, taking another swig of his coffee. He glanced at the gracefully painted beige walls of the Japanese man's home, seeming to think back. "No. Priest Dantos somehow managed to dismantle anything before the nurse came in. Bloody hospital staff..."

The four fell silent, unsure of how to continue. Finally, it was Gilbert who broke the silence. "I still don't think this is a good idea. And I'm starting to think you have some sick wish to be put in jail."

The blonde Englishman narrowed his eyes dangerously at the Prussian. He was not willing to budge on this matter. "You saw Alfred the last time you visited. He was basically wasting away. Do you want him to die?" He had decided to ignore the last statement. Right now, that wasn't very high on his priority list of things to worry about.

"Of course not! That's why I don't want you letting that crazy, religious wackjob going near him again."

Arthur rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "He's not going to die. I'll do everything in my power to make sure of that. However, if we don't at least attempt this again, he's going to lose all hope that he'll be rid of that accursed thing. And I don't know about you, but I do **not **want to be the one to witness what little optimism he has wither away."

Kiku nodded his agreement. "I have to say, when you put it like that, I do agree."

"Kiku! What the hell?" The white-haired man demanded, turning towards him.

Kiku shrugged slightly, turning away from him. "I hate to say it...but...I guess I'm on board as well." Ludwig announced. Clearly, he was not thrilled in the slightest.

"Brother? Are you serious? Just a minute ago, you even said it was too dangerous! What is the matter with you?"

"Look, Gil, Arthur's right. Even if we don't want to admit it, Alfred will kill himself if this doesn't work. I figure we might as well try. At least this way, he might have a chance to live."

"This is bullshit!" And with that, Gilbert jumped to his feet, stomping out the door.

"He'll come around. Do not worry." Ludwig told the other two. He knew in a couple hour's time, his elder brother would think logically on this topic. He just **had **to see this was the only chance they had. He didn't like the prospect of Alfred's body giving out in the middle of one of those extensive procedures. But, Arthur was right. If he didn't have this option, Alfred would undoubtedly go back to looking just as frail, and close to death as he had before. And Ludwig knew he couldn't handle that. Not again. Alfred had been the one to bring them all together. He had helped them all in various ways, so didn't they owe him?

Arthur smiled slightly. Good. At least they understood. Whether or not they had, he was going to continue on with his plan. But it was nice to know they didn't have major objections. He knew Ludwig and Kiku were still quite reluctant, but they wouldn't stop him. And Ludwig was right. Gilbert would eventually agree to it. He just had to. It was the only logical way to deal with the demon.

A few hours ticked by, and Arthur decided it was high time to head home. He was to meet with Priest Dantos the following day at the hospital. He excused himself politely, then trekked out to his car.

...

The next day arrived, and Arthur was feeling rather stimulated at the thought of the second exorcism. Priest Dantos had explained to him that it would take a few tries, at least three, to get the demon out. But what if perhaps, it **did **happen to work today? What if they wouldn't even need to stress Alfred's body further, and his recovery time could quite possibly be lessened?

Ah, that was wishful thinking right there. Arthur needed to be realistic. He slowly rose from his bed, dressing in a pair of jeans, and a fitted green sweater that brought out the emerald in his eyes even further.

Combing his hair absentmindedly, he trudged outside. The trip to the hospital didn't seem to take any time as he strode through the front doors. He checked his watch, seeing it was now 9:47. Good. Thirteen minutes to visiting hours. Dantos would most definitely be waiting for him.

Finally, he arrived on the familiar fourth floor. He immediately spotted the dark-haired priest. When he approached the man seated in one of the chairs, he noticed he wasn't lugging the equipment with him.

"Hello." Arthur greeted, startling the man.

Dantos, lifting his gaze to find the blonde man smiled. "Hello, Arthur. How are you today?"

"I'm well." He replied, his eyes still glued to the spot where the monitor should be as he drew closer. "Where is the equipment?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Dantos's smile faltered for a moment, until he seemed to understand. "Oh, you see, I have a few things in my case here."

Arthur found clutched in the man's left hand, a rather large brief case. "I decided I had better play it on the safe side this time." Seeing Arthur's less than enthusiastic expression at this, the priest continued. "Don't worry. We pretty much only need the heart monitor anyway. That'll let us know if his body's undergoing too much stress."

Arthur finally nodded. Yeah. That made sense. And if it was a safer course, who was he to disagree?

He took a seat, checking his watch again to read 9:52. Why did it seem as though time was dragging by? He tapped his foot impatiently, awaiting ten o'clock to strike.

After what seemed like ages to the eager blonde, the clock on the wall by the nurse's station read 10:00. Arthur almost jogged up to the desk to check in. The nurse nodded as she turned to find Alfred's chart. Arthur wondered briefly if anything else unusual had happened while he had been away. But the nurse didn't bring anything up. Just smiled as she began to guide him down to the room.

Arthur gestured for Dantos to follow, and the man happily obliged. It wasn't long before the three arrived just outside the door.

"All right. You both remember the rules, right?" The brunette nurse asked.

Both nodded simply.

"Good." She smiled, inputing her code. There was a loud beep, and the young woman slowly opened the door.

Once both men were inside, they found Alfred strapped down to the bed, as usual. Arthur's gaze darted to the feeding tube jammed in his body. Good. It was still there. Ever since the doctor had told him how many times Alfred had refused it, he just always had to be sure it remained there.

Alfred did look a little better. Less frail it seemed. He even smiled when the two began to approach. But Arthur knew he was beginning to lose control.

"Hey, guys. 'Sup?"

Yeah. **That **sounded like the Alfred Arthur knew.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Arthur asked while Dantos got the heart monitor ready.

Alfred shrugged. "Oh, you know. Same. But I am feeling a little better."

That was surely good news. Arthur felt his lips turn up into a grin. It was great to see Alfred so optimistic. He placed a gentle hand on Alfred's cheek, and the blonde smiled.

"I'm glad you're here, man."

"Of course. I wouldn't let you go through this on your own. Especially since this is all my fault."

Alfred furrowed a brow. "What are you talking about, dude? This isn't your fault."

"I'm the one that insisted on having that seance in your home. I must have inadvertently invited the demon inside."

The American rolled his eyes. "Oh, let it go, man. Its not your fault, okay? You were just trying to help." He paused, and Arthur watched as a tear rolled down his cheek, falling on Alfred's forehead. Alfred narrowed his eyes, staring directly ahead. "Are you crying? Dude! Come on!" 

"O-of course not, you...idiot!" Arthur stammered, his cheeks flushing.

The man on the bed smiled knowingly. "Dude, I may not be able to see you right now, but I know you're crying." He fell silent for a moment, closing his eyes. "I don't blame you, 'kay? Just let it go."

Arthur nodded, only vaguely aware of the fact Alfred had no idea he had just responded to him. "You ready, Al?"

Alfred nodded simply. Arthur was surprised he wasn't even trying to stall after what happened the last time. But that was the American for you. Stubborn as hell.

Dantos had already hooked the monitor up to Alfred's chest, and he was now extracting the cross from his robe. Just like before, Alfred's body was sent into convulsions. Arthur could hear him whimper a few times as his wounds reopened at the violent jerking.

This went on for a few more minutes as Dantos chanted scripture while holding the crucifix outward.

Finally, Alfred's body stilled. A light humming noise filled Arthur's ears, and at first he was unsure of exactly where it was coming from. But as it grew louder, he knew it was coming from Alfred's lips.

His eyes shot open, the black overtaking blue again. _"Ah, can't get enough of me, can you?" _The entity asked. His usual smirk seemed even larger this time.

"Enough games, demon! Tell me your name." Dantos commanded. Well, he wasn't wasting any time...

_"Heh...heh...heh...that's a funny joke, you faithless swine. You really think you can demand answers out of me? You obviously have no idea who you're dealing with." _

Arthur had the urge to remind the demon that problem was indeed its fault. But he remained silent. This wasn't his place. And, the entity did frighten him. The way he would stare intensely at anyone in the room. He was just glad his attention was focused on the priest this time.

_"So, priest...you do know you're helping a murderer...right?" _Arthur's eyes widened as Alfred turned his putrid gaze on him.

Ah hell. He had spoken too soon...again...

"What nonsense are you speaking of?" Dantos asked, seeming only half-interested.

Alfred's tongue appeared once more, licking his lips in a sadistic manner as he continued to stare relentlessly up at Arthur who prayed the priest would splash some holy water on his body to silence the demon.

However, he was not so fortunate. And the demon uttered the words he had been dreading to hear. _"Arthur here killed one of your own. Doesn't that interest you? In fact, I think you might have known him...a Priest with the last name Delacruz, I believe...Does that ring a bell?" _

Dantos's eyes widened, and Arthur's heart sank. He had known him. This was awful...though, he had a chance. Demons were known to lie. Perhaps he would think that true now?

Luckily, it seemed this was the case as he visibly shook himself, focusing on the task at hand. "Quiet, demon! I will not listen to your deceit." He raised the crucifix, stretching it closer to the bed.

_"You stupid human. Are you seriously that stupid? The man standing before you killed your friend." _His grin grew wider as Dantos ceased his chanting. His dark eyes found Arthur's, as if searching for the truth there.

Arthur quickly looked away. Shame had flooded its way into his mind. He couldn't bear to look this man in the eye. Damn demon...

"You k-killed him? Is that true?"

Arthur hesitated for a moment. Then, he finally nodded. No use in lying now. He was sure he face held the answer anyway.

"Oh God! You killed my friend! He was the one who trained me to become a priest! And you killed him?" Arthur flinched slightly at the accusation. "Why? He was such a good man? How did you even know him?"

Oh bollocks! Had this man forgotten Alfred already? The demon chortled softly, watching everything unfold before him.

"Dantos! We can discuss this later. Continue the exorcism, please."

Dantos shook his head vigorously. "No. Not until you at least answer my questions."

"Dantos!"

"**Answer the question!**"

Arthur sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "He was my father..."

_Oh dang! He killed his father! _

_Anyway, I'm so sorry if this chapter kinda sucks. I'm writing it in the middle of the night, and I'm exhausted. I'm amazed I even finished it to be honest. _

_Anyway, please leave me your feedback! You know I love it!_

_And make sure to check back! You know you want to find out why Arthur killed his dad, right? And to see if Alfred ever gets better!_


	10. Another Gruesome Death

_Hey, guys! Back with a new chapter! Its not as long as the others, so I apologize for that!_

_Anyway, I just want to say thank you so much again for all your reviews! I love it! You guys rock!_

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia...=[_

_On with the chapter!_

Dantos's unforgiving gaze remained settled on the british man before him. What the hell else did he expect him to say? They had a job to do, and Arthur was in no mood to explain the entirety of the story to him. "Dantos, I emplore you to finish the exorcism. We can discuss these matters further later! If you would jus-"

"No! You killed my mentor! You will tell me the reason now, or I walk away!"

Arthur sighed. There was no reasoning with this man. Why couldn't he let this matter wait until after this exorcism? "Dantos...I-"

Arthur stopped suddenly as a shrill cry rang throughout the room. When he snapped his eyes up to see where it had come from, he found that Alfred had once again turned his sights on him. And when the Englishman lifted his gaze further, he found Dantos's head beginning to turn in a slow, eerie fashion. Judging from the look on his face, this was not of his own doing.

"Wh-what's happening?" The priest asked. There was a sickening pop, and Dantos cried out once more.

"Oh, God..." Arthur was frozen. Was this the demon's doing? If so, he had greatly underestimated his strength..."Dantos!" He finally shouted, racing over. But there was nothing he could do. When Dantos neck finally reached its breaking point, his limp body fell to the floor, and Arthur knew right then he was dead. A small amount of blood leaked from his mouth, and his eyes were still shot open wide.

_"Heh heh heh...what a foolish human. He really should've listened to you, you know?" _

Arthur was only vaguely aware of the fact the evil spirit was speaking to him. His thoughts had raced to another place. If Alfred was strapped to the bed, wouldn't the most likely target of the hospital staff's accusations be him? He was the only one capable to snap the priest's neck.

Fear crept its way into his heart as another thought occured to him. If the demon could kill Dantos off so easily, who was to say he wouldn't come after him next? He slowly turned his eyes to find Alfred's. His lips were still curves in his usual smile.

_"Are you surprised I could kill that man without even touching him?" _ He waited, but Arthur made no response. _"I don't need to make contact with any of you pitiful beings to rid you of this earth. I could even cause one of your other friends to die from here." _His smirk widened at this thought. _"Hm...that's an idea right there...right now, Kiku's at the school. I could always have him gouge his own eyes out in front of his students. Or how about Gilbert? I could have him hang his brother, then finish himself off with his gun?" _

"No! You leave them out of this!" Arthur's eyes widened at his own outburst. Was he insane? Did he really want to anger this demon, and lose his life as well?

Instead of the expected howl, Arthur received a chortle in response. _"You're just as ignorant as that filth lying on the floor there. If I choose to kill any of them, you can not stop me. I will kill all of you sometime. It will just be when I decide its best." _

The blonde had had enough of this. It was already creepy enough to contact the demon with someone else with him, but now, by himself, it was terrifying. He raced to the door, banging on the steel with all his might. "Please! Let me out of here! There's a man dead! Dear, God! Get me out of here!"

...

After being whisked away from Alfred's room, he was questioned by the police that had shown up. He explained the situation over and over. And while the officers were clearly not buying the story of a demon killing the priest, they didn't seem to suspect the frightened man.

He attempted numerous times to assure them that just like last time, Alfred had not been responsible for the death of the man inside his room.

He wondered after this, if anyone would ever be able to visit Alfred. He knew he would just need to wait, and see. This was now up to Dr. Thompson, and the police. They held Alfred's fate in their hands now. There was nothing Arthur could do, until he received word of their decision.

...

As the weeks went by, he waited endlessly for the hospital staff to call him. As a way to pass the time, he would research other priests in the area. He met with a few, and finally decided on another one with a good track record. Priest Belton. The brown-haired man was quite young, being only thirty-four, but he was rather competent, and he had been the head priest in quite a few exorcisms.

Now, the only thing he needed, was to be able to visit Alfred again. At least one more time.

Arthur snatched his cell phone from his nightstand. If they weren't going to contact him, he would find out on his own time. His fingers danced around the tiny keyboard, dialing the number for the psych ward.

Within a few rings, a woman's voice came through, greeting him, and telling him which ward he had reached.

"Hello. I'm Arthur Kirkland. I was wondering about Alfred? Have the police made their decision yet?"

Silence. Well, this was odd...

"Hello?" He asked, wondering if perhaps the connection was bad.

"Um...Mr. Kirkland...I don't know exactly how to tell you this...so I'll just come right out and say it...they've scheduled to have Alfred lethally injected...They said he was too dangerous to keep here."

Arthur tried desperately to say something. But now words came. Had he even heard her right? Surely not. Why after two murders, knowing the man's not well, would they put him on death row?

"Mr. Kirkland? Are you still there?"

"Y-Yes...I have to go..." And with that, he closed his phone. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

_Oh dang! Poor Alfred! It seems like everytime they get closer to curing him, something else bad happens, right? _

_And I know in this chapter you didn't find out exactly what happened with Arthur's father, but that information is coming soon. Don't worry! Its just not time to explain that yet!_

_Anyways, please leave me your feedback as always! Its super appreciated!_


	11. Silent Brooding

_Whoo! Back again! _

_All right, guys. I encourage you to check out my new story, too. Deadly Games. It centers around Arthur in that one, and its probably going to be more horror than this one turned out. Not all this sad crap..._

_Let me know what you think on that one!_

_Anyway, disclaimer time!_

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia! ='[_

Arthur had met up with Dr. Thompson at the hospital after hearing the grave news. He pleaded with the man to have him change his mind, but it was in vain.

The elder man made it clear the decision had not been made by him. He had even tried to convince the police otherwise, and that he would make sure Alfred was put into seclusion. A room where he would be allowed no visitors (so, in all honestly, probably no better for Arthur's cause.) and would be sedated constantly. At least until they could figure out what was wrong with him.

The British man's only other choice was to meet with the police chief in charge of the decision.

But he found after over an hour of arguing, they would not budge. Was there really no hope for Alfred? Was he really just going to be put to death, while Arthur just watched on the sidelines completely helpless?

No. He wouldn't allow it. He would find a way to save his younger brother. Even if it meant somehow taking his place. But first, he needed to inform the rest of the group of what had happened.

...

His emerald eyes searched the other four's awaiting faces from across his expansive dining room table.

Kiku, and Ludwig had already asked the reasoning for being brought here, and he could tell Gilbert was getting ready to ask the same question once more.

Damn, this was getting harder than he thought. Every time he would try to open his mouth to speak, he would find he was still at a loss for words. How do you tell somebody that someone they care deeply for is going to die as a cause of your own selfish actions?

"Arthur, what the hell is going on?" Yep. Just like he had expected, Gilbert's impatient tone had disturbed the quiet atmosphere.

He could feel as his gaze fell to the table. It was now or never, and he was unwilling to look them in the eyes when he tore their hearts from their chests. "Alfred's...been put on death row..." Hot tears stung at his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks as he muttered the words.

Silence.

Had they heard him? Maybe he should repeat himself?

He was just beginning to open his mouth to explain the situation again, until Ludwig interrupted him. "What? What did you just say?"

Using his fork, Arthur pushed the food around on his plate, trying to keep himself from looking upwards. "I believe you heard me correctly. Alfred's been scheduled to be put to...death..." His vision blurred even further at the promise of tears. Now he could barely make out the strips of cod on his plate.

"When the fuck did this happen?" Of course Gilbert would be the next to chime in.

"I found out yesterday..."

Kiku, usually emotionally collected at all times, even sounded shaky when he asked, "Why did this happen? What did Alfred do to cause this?"

That's right. He had almost forgotten he hadn't told them about the incident concerning Dantos. He had been too busy attempting to bury his awful past, he had been unwilling to bring the story up. Not to mention the fact he was still scarred from watching someone die right before his eyes.

"The demon killed Priest Dantos during an exorcism." No need to go into detail. That would be enough to satisfy their God-awful questions of that horrific day.

There was a slight gasp, and Arthur finally looked up. He was shocked to find it had come from Ivan. The Russian's usually amused expression had been replaced by one of disturbance.

"So what the hell? Are we gonna go bust him out, or not?" Gilbert yelled after taking another gulp of his beer.

Arthur just shrugged. "I have no clue how we could even manage that. He's heavily guarded."

"How long before he's scheduled?" Came Ivan's broken English.

"Two weeks."

A grin crept across the pale Russian's lips as he stated, "That's enough time."

...

Alfred sat alone in his cell. This was torture. He never thought he'd long to be in the hospital again until now. At least there he had a bed to lay in...all the time...

Now here he sat in the cold, dank cell on probably **the **hardest bench in history. He shifted uncomfortably on the wooden structure, causing the cuffs binding his hands together to clink.

His eyes danced over to find the calendar pinned to the wall. The one thing he was allowed to have, and it cruelly mocked him, counting down the days to his demise. However, the date was bittersweet to him. Sure, he would die, leave behind all his friends and students. But at the same time, he would finally be rid of this mental leech.

Even now he could hear the demon chanting something in another language, and he was glad it was unfamiliar to him.

The blonde rested his head against the wall of the cell as he shut his eyes. He was saddened to know the only possible time he would ever get to see his friends again, would be at his lethal injection. At this thought, a single tear rolled down his cheek. That would be the last time he'd get to speak to them.

_'Oh, don't worry. I'll keep watch over your friends when you're dead.'_

Alfred shut his eyes tighter. Dumbass demon wouldn't let him have any peace.

'Just leave me alone...you've already won. I'm goint to die soon, so just let me have my last days to myself.' He thought back.

_'Hahaha! You arrogant human! Do you really think you're the only one I'm after? How have you not understood that I plan on going after your friends after you've died?'_

Alfred's eyes shot open, widening slightly. Of course he had heard that threat, but he had been sure it was just that-an empty threat. He had never taken the demon seriously.

That had proved to be a crucial mistake...

_Okay...I think that by far is the most depressing chapter I've written on this story...=[_

_Poor Alfred. You're too adorable to be in prison!_

_Please leave me your feedback guys! As always, its much appreciated!_


	12. The Escape

_Oh yeah! Back with another chapter! Now I know the last one, nothing really happened. It was just kind of depressing...and...blah...But this one's hopefully a lot better in your opinion!_

_Anyway, on with it, shall we?_

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia. _

The day had started out like any other for the blonde American. He had woken on his bench, his eyes fluttering open to find he was still, in fact, locked in a prison cell by himself.

Then a few hours later, he had been brought his lunch. He was sure the disgusting prison food was still alive as he forced down a bite of the mashed potatoes...or that's what he thought them to be at least.

And then, he had sat on the bench, staring at the calendar before his eyes.

That's when he heard a loud banging a pretty good distance away. Probably another prison riot. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Why did this seem to happen a lot in a prison that was supposedly heavily guarded? The armed officers didn't seem to be able to keep the overly hyped criminals behind bars very well.

He quickly shook the thought from his mind as he shut his eyes, resting his head against the wall. The demon was being particularly quiet today. He might as well take advantage of the peace for once.

But just as he was beginning to drift off, he swore he heard one of the guards stationed outside his enclosed cell shout something he couldn't understand. Was the riot that bad now? As he opened his eyes, he heard a loud crash and more shouting. What was going on?

Alfred warily rose from his seat, trying to peek through the tiny slot in the door. But nothing was really visible from this angle.

Damn! What if he was in danger?

'_Oh, I wouldn't worry about that...heh heh...'_

Alfred jumped at the voice. Man, he **was **on edge...

'What do you mean?'

Before he could receive his answer, a loud banging was heard once more, and when Alfred's blue eyes met with the door, it appeared someone was trying to knock it down.

He tensed at the thought. There was no way he could fight whoever this was off. At least not for long. The blonde had lost so much weight while in the psych ward, and it hadn't helped his cause being shipped to this hell hole.

But Alfred F. Jones would **not **go down without a fight...He quickly balled his hands into fists, at the ready to attack.

He watched as the door slowly began to topple, and instinctively moved away as it fell just to the left of his frame. His determined gaze then fell on the figure now stepping through the now exposed doorway.

"...Ivan?" His eyes widened in shock at seeing his friend standing before him, his favorite pipe in hand.

"Da. Are you ready to go?"

Alfred knew the intelligent thing to do would be to run while they had the chance, like what Ivan was clearly pushing for. But there were so many questions buzzing through his head.

"How did you...what are you doing here?"

"Oh shut up, and let's go!"

Alfred turned to find Gilbert now entering the room wielding a gun in his right hand. What had they done?

"G-Gilbert? Who else is here?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Ah hell. I knew you were going to be a little bitch about this, but come on..." He then turned his head back in the direction he had come from. "Yo, Luddie! We need you in here!"

Alfred watched in horror as the six foot German entered the room.

"Please get him out of here..." Gilbert instructed his brother.

The blonde merely nodded, a smirk plastered to his face as he strode over to where Alfred stood. He then grabbed the American, swinging him over his shoulder, and walking from the room. He was closely followed by Ivan and Gilbert who chuckled mercilessly at Alfred as he struggled against the burly man clutching onto him.

Alfred couldn't see much on the way out due to how Ludwig was holding him, but he did see blood on the floor in splotches.

They had killed people. They had killed people to save him. Now he had those men's blood on his hands as well.

The next thing he knew, Alfred had been thrown into the backseat of a car that sped off almost immediately after his arrival. When he had turned himself upright on the leather upholstery, the American decided now was the time to make his opinion well-known on this escape.

He turned his enraged gaze on Gilbert who now sat next to him on one side. "What the hell? Are you guys insane? You could've all died!" He then paused, glaring at Ludwig on his other side. "And you killed people! All to get me out! They're going to find us all now! And kill us!"

"Oh, shut up, you wanker!"

Oh no...not him, too...Alfred soon found Arthur in the driver's seat of the car. How had he not noticed him before?

"We didn't kill anyone. Ivan invented some new gas to knock the guards out. You need to learn to calm yourself..."

"No one died? Then why did I see blood on the floor? And what was with all of the horrible banging I heard?"

"Gilbert was excited about coming to your rescue...so instead of doing the research to find your room, he just started knocking on random doors." Now it was Kiku who spoke from the passenger seat in the front. "And the blood," He continued on. "Was from Ludwig and Gilbert getting into a fight..."

Alfred furrowed a brow at each of the German brothers. Now that he took a good look at them, he did see Ludwig had a cut on his arm, and Gilbert's head was bleeding slightly.

"And the weapons?"

"Just in case somewhere, our plan had failed." Kiku answered simply.

Alfred nodded. All right. So, at least his friends hadn't murdered anyone on his behalf. But that still meant they had broken some serious laws to get him out. But, in all honesty, he was too exhausted to think about that right now. He was safe for the moment. There **was **hope for him.

As they continued to speed off, Alfred felt as consciousness slowly drained from his body. Sleep had claimed him rather quickly, and he was glad for it.

...

When he awoke, Alfred noticed he was in a chair in Arthur's house. That part, as alarming as it was that they had chosen to take him there, was not the odd part. He soon noticed his body was bound to the furniture by thick rope.

"Um...wh-what's going on, dudes?"

Arthur, who's back had been turned to him, spun around to face the blonde. "Hey, chap. Everything's all right. Don't you worry. We're just giving your exorcism another go, all right?"

Already? Did they not believe in giving the poor exhausted man a rest?

Before he could voice his protest, he began to notice as the film slowly formed on his eye. "A priest is here, already, isn't he?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. Priest Belton. He's very optimistic about your case, and we're going to film it this time to show to the authorities. Its not a for sure thing, but maybe if we show them some sort of proof you weren't responsible for those murders, they'll let you be."

Was he serious? Like the police were just going to let him off the hook because he claimed "the devil did it." Yeah. Right...

Arthur drabbled on about something else Alfred was unable to hear. The demon was close to taking full control now, and he wished desperately to send the elder man from his side. But his voice was betraying him, not allowing him to speak at all.

Alfred closed his eyes tight.

'God...please let this be the last time I have to go through this...'

_'Heh heh...Your God has abandoned you, you disgusting filth. You belong to us now...'_

Alfred ignored the raspy voice flooding his mind. He would be fine.

He just **had **to keep faith...

_Yay! He's out of prison! And hopefully the exorcism works!_

_Anyway, please let me know what you guys think! I appreciate it greatly!_


	13. Story Unfolding

_Ba-bam! Back again! Whoooo!_

_All right, so, I know its taken me a little while to update on this one. SUPER sorry about that. Been kinda busy lately! _

_But I do want to thank you guys for your awesome reviews. They are AWESOME!_

_Anyway, I think I've kept you all waiting WAY long enough. _

_ON WITH ZA STORY! _

_Disclaimer-I DON'T OWN HETALIA! JERKS! ='[_

_..._

Arthur watched in complete, and utter horror as Alfred's hands grasped Ludwig by the throat. Even with the man's incredible strength mixed in with his brother's, they could not shake the American from him.

Priest Belton continued to chant words, and raise the bible at him, but it didn't seem to phase the demon one bit. And now Ludwig was beginning to turn blue.

"Alfred!" Arthur screeched. "I know you're in there! You have to stop this! Now!"

The demon didn't even turn to face him when he spoke the words Arthur knew to not be true...but they still stung. _"Alfred can't make it right now...he's too busy burning. Heh heh heh..."_

Burning? What the bloody hell did that even mean? Was he trying to say Alfred's soul had gone to hell? Rubbish. Complete and utter rubbish as far as Arthur was concerned.

"Let this child of God go, you filthy demon!" Yelled Priest Belton, adding to the commands.

The demon just cackled as Ludwig slumped to the floor. His eyes were still wide, and his hands were still clutched around the demon's, still attempting to pry them off. Gilbert knelt with the man, still trying desperately to free his brother. "Get off of him!" He demanded, glaring directly at Alfred.

Arthur frowned. This was bad. He hadn't imagined Alfred to have enough strength left in his body to break free from the ropes that had bound him to the chair. However, looking back he should have seen this as a possibility. He had read somewhere that apparently the host body in possession could acquire inhuman amounts of strength when the demonic power took control.

Shit.

He took a step towards the three huddled in the corner, but Belton immediately flung his arm out to halt him.

"No. Don't interfere."

"Do you see what's happening? Why the hell shouldn't I help?"

Belton flipped open his bible, and without answering, began to chant scripture in what Arthur was positive to be Hebrew. Impressive.

This caught the demon's attention rather quickly. Alfred's hands flew from Ludwig's now raw neck, and Gilbert grasped his brother looking him over.

Alfred slowly turned his head. The smile from his face was gone. Now, the pure black eyes were narrowed dangerously in the priest's direction.

The Priest Belton paused in his chanting long enough to say, "I thought that would get your attention. That **is **the ancient language of God's people of course." He then quickly began to read from his bible once again, picking right up with the Hebrew.

_"Shut up!" _Came the shrill demand from Alfred's lips. He was now turning his entire body in their direction. As he began to walk over to them, Arthur noticed there was a predatory feel to the way he was moving.

And then, the demon picked up the pace. Before Arthur could react, Alfred's hand was clutching a knife to his own throat. How had he gotten that from the kitchen? Alfred hadn't even left the room...had he? _"Keep talking, and I'll tear his vocal cords out." _

Arthur could feel his frantic gaze turn on the man standing next to him. Belton was just about to speak another line when the blonde ripped the bible from his hands.

The brown-haired man's narrowed eyes fell on Arthur as he yelled, "Why did you do that?"

Arthur was speechless for a moment. When he finally found his voice, it startled even him. He sounded so...so angry...Even to himself it was odd. "Are you seriously asking me why? There's a knife to Alfred's neck, for God's sake!"

"We need to get this demon out of him! At all costs!" Belton fired back.

"Even at the cost of his life?" Now it was Gilbert who spoke, having made his way over to the commotion from the other side of the room.

Belton was silent for a moment.

The three stood huddled around, trying desperately to figure out their next best move to free Alfred.

Then, they heard the sound of glass shattering. Gilbert was the first to look to the newly shattered window. "He's escaped!"

Arthur knew instantly without even looking the German man meant Alfred. "Bollocks!"

"We have to find him!" Came Belton's voice. "He could seriously injure someone with that knife. Or himself."

Well thank you captain obvious...As if they weren't already concerned about that as well.

Gilbert darted back over to Ludwig who was still trying to fully catch his breath. "You two go. I'll stay here with Luddie."

"No." Arthur said quietly. "No. We need you to come along. I'll call Kiku and tell him to come back over." He quickly flipped his phone open, punching the Japanese man's number in, and slamming it to his ear in a frenzy. "Kiku!" He yelled, even before the man on the other line had a chance to say hello.

"What is it, Arthur?"

"I need you to come back over to my place. Alfred's escaped, and Ludwig's been hurt." After taking a few more moments to explain the rest of the details, Arthur hung up. "He said he'll be here as soon as possible. Right now, we need to be on the move."

Once Gilbert made sure his brother would be all right by himself for just a few minutes, they dashed out to their cars. Each would take a different route to cover more ground that quickly.

When Arthur was in his own car, he could only think of how it would have been a much better idea to have had Ivan and Kiku come back to his house to assist in the exorcism, than to have them watch over the prison where they had busted Alfred out. Of course it had been a good idea to be sure they wouldn't come looking for the fugitive at any of their places. But, if they had all been there, it would have been a much easier task to keep the ritual from turning into a chase like it had become.

Too late to reflect on that now.

It seemed like an eternity as he drove around, looking for any sign of the blonde man. Green eyes met with the black digital numbers on the clock in his car. It had officially been over forty five minutes of searching. How could he have gotten so far in such little time?

His cell phone sprang to life, the obnoxious ringtone blaring. The man snapped it open, and pressed it to his ear without seeing who was calling. "Hello?"

"I've found him!" Screeched Gilbert's voice. Arthur had to pull the phone away from his ear a few inches at the sound.

"Where?"

"He's at the fountain downtown! Get here!" And with that, the line went dead.

Arthur quickly turned the car around.

...

When he arrived, he found Gilbert trying to coax the knife from the demon's hand. And Arthur could see he was still threatening to kill Alfred if anyone came any closer.

_"I'll gut this body, and then I'll come after you if you take another step." _That disgusting smirk was back.

Arthur could feel fear wrap over him like a blanket as the black eyes turned in his direction. His throat tightened, and he felt as suddenly, all of the warmth from the adrenaline rush he had experienced earlier abandoned his body.

_"Nice of you to join us, Arthur. Where's that dick priest?"_

"Not here yet." Arthur was surprised at how steady his voice sounded. He was absolutely terrified at that moment. And the odd thing was, he had no idea why. Sure this demon was powerful, and creepy, and he was always afraid of it. But this was almost like a foreshadowing fear to him. Like something bad was about to happen.

The smile on Alfred's face grew as he perched himself on the side of the fountain. _"Then I guess I had better make this quick." _

Gilbert furrowed a brow, clearly confused. "Make what quick?"

The demon ignored him as he continued to stare Arthur down. Alfred's fingertip grazed the blade of the knife gently as he spoke. _"You know, Arthur. I __**really **__want to kill your friend here. I feel like it'd be a lot of fun." _His eyes brightened at the mention of ending Alfred's life, and Arthur was about to object, when he continued. _"But I really feel like it would be a lot more fulfilling to kill you. I mean, you__** did **__kill your dad. It'd only be fair." _

Gilbert's eyes widened at the British man. "Is that true? You k-killed your own father?" His tone was so full of disbelief, Arthur felt his own stomach turn. When he simply nodded, Gilbert went on. "Why?"

Arthur paused for a moment. He didn't even want to talk about it. His life was very much on the line, and to be honest, he was trying to forget that dreadful day.

_"Oh, just tell him. It'll be fun." _

"I don't wish to..."

_"Do it, or I'll kill Alfred right now."_

Damnet! This is not how this was supposed to happen. This whole exorcism wasn't supposed to be this long and drawn out. Or emotionally scarring...

Arthur took a deep breath. He needed desperately to be rid of his selfishness. Whatever it took to keep Alfred alive, right? Hadn't he made that promise to himself long ago? Right now was no different.

The demon's grin returned as Arthur's eyes fell to the floor. He couldn't meet Gilbert's disgusted expression when he recounted the gruesome details.

"My father was a priest...he...he assisted in a lot of exorcisms. Apparently he was really good at it. But, one day, he and another priest, one of his friends, went to perform one for a girl who had been possessed by a rather powerful demon." Arthur hesitated, his throat tightening. He stole a glance at Gilbert who still looked shocked. But thankfully, his expression had softened some. "They hadn't prepared themselves properly to deal with this demon...and my father ended up becoming its next victim. My mother and I at first didn't notice anything unusual at first. But after a few weeks, my father began to act very distant. This troubled my mother greatly. So she began to try and figure out what was going on with him. That was when things took a turn for the worst."

_"Hmm...you're starting to bore me." _Complained the demon. He had run Alfred's finger over the knife so many times, it was beginning to bleed. _"Get to the good part. You know...when your father gutted his disgusting pig of a wife. Or how about when he shoved the crucifix into her eye socket? That part's rather fun, too." _He let out a putrid laugh, and Arthur was sure he would vomit.

"Oh my God..." Gilbert trailed off. This was a first. The albino had fallen speechless at the grotesque direction this story had gone in.

Arthur nodded. "Yes...so, when my father came after me...my only choice was to shoot him...I was only ten years old at the time..."

"Oh my God," Gilbert repeated. "I...can't believe this..."

The demon cackled as a tear rolled down Arthur's cheek at the memory. _"You know what the best part of that story is?" _

Both Gilbert and Arthur looked upon Alfred's face as he uttered the words that would haunt Arthur's memory for the rest of his life. _"I was the one that killed them both...and I intend to finish the job with you." _

He laughed again, throwing his head back with the noise.

But Arthur could no longer hear him. All he could hear now was the last sentence the entity had spoken. _"I was the one that killed them both."_

_..._

_Well, at least you finally know what happened with Arthur's dad, right? Sadness!_

_Sooo...you need to check back next chapter and see what happens! Shit just got REAL! _

_And as always, please leave me your awesome reviews. You guys have been so good about it, and I love them so much! Like seriously, you guys are super sweet. =]_

_See ya next chappie!_


	14. Blinding Fear

_'Sup, guys? Finally! Back. Yeaya!_

_Sorry about the long wait. Was on vacation! But I'm finally back, and I'm so happy to present you with this chapter. _

_I'm going to warn you guys. This one might is kind of sad...=[_

_Why, you ask?_

_..._

_You'll just have to read and find out! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!..._

_ANYWAY! I've kept you waiting long enough. ENJOY!_

_=P_

_Disclaimer-I do not own Hetalia. (Not really sure if I need to put that in every chapter, but to be cautious, I am. =])_

...

Now, words could not describe the fear etching itself mercilessly into Arthur's entire being. This was no ordinary demon. He had been cocky thinking this exorism would be the last.

Now that he thought about it, it could be the last...Alfred's life was at risk. This...dark entity wanted his life badly.

Had it just been simple mindedness to believe they could even drive this being out?

He watched as the eyes that had once belonged to his closest friend bore into him. The heartless gaze that now met his widened green eyes seemed to suck whatever hope was left, right out of him. Time seemed to stand still. Where the hell was that stupid priest when you needed him?

As if on cue, Arthur heard a car door slam. Immediately, Belton's baritone announced his presence, rushing up the steps to the fountain. Once he was at Arthur's side, the man halted. Apparently the british man looked just as horrified as he felt.

"Arthur, are you all right?"

Arthur paused. That was a good question. Was he all right? His heart was racing so fast, he felt as though it would burst right through his chest.

He quickly reminded himself of the task at hand, and nodded slowly. Of course he could tell from his peripheral vision that his trembling body had not fully convinced the brunette. However, to his luck, the man merely turned his attention back towards Alfred's body.

"All right, demon...I command in the name of the Lord you tell me your name."

Another cackle rang throughout Alfred's throat. _"You're still trying that? Do you really think yelling that hideous word at me is going to force my name out? You're pathetic. You and you're shitty religion." _He had now raised the knife, holding it to his wrist. _"Hmmm...looks like my markings have started to fade. Shall I make more?" _His sadistic gaze floated up to meet with Belton's once more. Then, shifted to Arthur.

Arthur could feel as every goosebump on his body emerged. He wished desperately to cry out. To object. But fear plucked his vocal chords out of reach. No sound would come from his open mouth.

The demon seemed to notice this, and to no surprise found it rather amusing. His grin widened as he dug the knife into Alfred's arm. Blood immediately appeared, leaking onto the knife, and seeping lazily from the new wound.

Arthur, in an effort to break the stare stole a glance at Gilbert.

Of course the German was already pale to begin with. He **was **an albino. But somehow, his face had turned an even whiter shade. Crimson eyes seemed frozen in shock, still wide. And with a startling realization, Arthur realized the eyes were locked on him.

"G-Gilbert?" Arthur was so shocked by his own voice, he nearly jumped.

The man remained still, not even seeming to move one muscle, and Arthur was sure for a moment he hadn't heard him. However, after a few moments, he shook his head slightly.

At first, the Englishman wondered if Gilbert was signaling he didn't wish to speak with him after the atrocities he had heard of Arthur's past. Then, the silver-haired man took a few steps closer so that he could lower his voice.

"I can...hear him in my head..."

What? What did that even mean? Hear who?

Apparently, his expression matched the questions flowing through his head, because immediately after, Gilbert added on,

"The demon...he's in my head!"

Arthur froze.

"And somehow, he's showing me images of ze story you told...so much blood!"

This had not been what the blonde was hoping for. He hadn't expected the demon to possess such powers. And definitely not to have somehow gained more strength after the other exorcisms. Clearly, he hadn't prepared enough.

He only half-listened as Belton continued to shout commands at the chortling demon. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts to fully hear the details of what was unfolding behind him.

Then, he felt as a hand gripped his shoulder.

His eyes found Gilbert's, and from the look on the elder German brother's face, he would not be bearing good news.

"Arthur! You have to get out of here! He's going to try and kill you! **Get out**!"

Before the man had even a moment to let that declaration sink in, a shout was heard. He slowly turned his head to find the knife hurtling from Alfred's hand, through the air. It was coming his way.

The world seemed to move in slow motion, and he willed his body to move.

But he was frozen. No matter what his mind told his legs to do, they refused to shift from their current position.

And then, he was on the ground.

Pain racked his entire being. His eyes had shut out of instinct, and he couldn't quite make out where he had been hit. His body was in so much pain. It seemed every part of him was riddled with an agony he couldn't even begin to describe.

He knew he wasn't dead. But, if he had been hit in any vitals, which he guessed very probable considering the direction the knife had been heading in while airborne was his heart, he would be soon.

"Oh my God!" The priest's voice. All right. So it was bad...

Arthur dared a peek. His eyes slowly fluttered open. Concrete greeted him upon first sight. As he shifted his gaze, blood came into view. But it was coming from his hands that had been scratched up in the fall. But, there was another trail, and instantly Arthur knew why his back was in so much distress. Someone was on top of him. He followed the blood to find another hand.

Gently, he turned, trying to move the other body from him. When his eyes met the other person, it was Gilbert.

The knife stuck up from his back, blood staining the man's blue jacket.

"Gilbert!" The blonde heard himself shriek. He had saved his life, pushed him out of the way, and in turn was stabbed. In his panic, Arthur turned his body to find Belton. "Call an ambulance! **Now**!"

The man quickly obliged, whipping out his phone as Arthur shifted.

Gilbert's eyes lazily opened as Arthur sat up, now cradling his friend.

"Why...why did you do that?"

Gilbert winced, but forced a small smile as he mumbled the words, "Because I am the awesome Gilbert. See? I am not as selfish, and self-centered as everyone thinks." He paused, shutting his eyes tight, and Arthur could tell the German was in a ridiculous amount of pain. When he reopened them, he grinned again. "I truly am the best to ever walk zis earth."

Seeing the still shocked look Arthur knew was still plastered on his face, the albino rolled his eyes, and continued. "Look, we both know if anyone is going to be able to save Alfred...its you. Its for ze best if you stay alive..." His eyes closed again, and Arthur could feel his body slowly beginning to slump.

"What have I done...?"

Startled at the voice, the British man turned to find Alfred, apparently back to himself. The American stumbled over, and from the look on his face, he knew the knife had come from his hand.

"Alfred...you weren't...yourself...please don't do this." Arthur whispered. He was amazed he could even form words at this point.

"Dude!" He heard the other blonde yell. "I killed my friend! I killed him!"

"Shut up..." Came Gilbert's small voice. "I am not dead yet...please...quit your shouting..."

Well, that was some good news. Perhaps the ambulance would arrive just in time to save him. Then this would all be an awful memory.

Right?

Gilbert's eyes opened once more, heavily lidded this time. He had lost so much blood, his face had turned a pure shade of white. This was bad. He was fading fast.

"Alfred, you moron...I don't hold zis against you...please quit looking at me like that." There was that playful smile again. "We will meet again." His eyes closed again, and his weakened voice made out one last sentence. "Please tell Luddie...I'll miss him..."

Tears rolled down Alfred's cheeks. A moment of silence passed, and seeming to gain the courage, he whimpered out, "Is he...g -gone?"

Arthur felt as Gilbert's body slacked. His chest had ceased moving. He grimly nodded, and Alfred seemed to lose any composure he had attempted to muster up.

In the background, the shriek of an ambulance could be heard...

...

_Yeah...I kind of hate myself for this chapter. Prussia's one of my favorite characters, so I'm pretty distressed I just killed him off. _

_But you have to admit, its kind of nice to see him be sentimental...right? _

_...I know...still not worth it. _

_Anyway, please leave me some comments on what you thought. _

_P.S.-super glad to have finally updated on this story. WAHOO!_


	15. Grief

_Sooo...I know its been a while since I updated on this. And I'm so grateful that you guys have been so faithful in your reading and reviewing. I seriously love that you guys like this story. Though, I kind of think the creepy idea has turned into a more depressing one. I definitely think all my scary ideas have gone into Deadly Games...Not gonna lie...that one scares me sometimes. Not even saying that to be conceited at all...I'm just a scaredy cat...=[_

_ALL RIGHT! Ready to find out how Ludwig takes Gilbert's death? _

_I AM!_

_Disclaimer-I don't own Hetalia...though, yet again...I would really like to own England...just sayin'..._

_..._

Arthur sat in the waiting room of the hospital. He was only accompanied by Ludwig, and Kiku.

His hooded green eyes focused on the distraught German. He couldn't imagine being in the man's shoes at that moment. If Alfred was the one...

No. He quickly shook the thought from his mind. Alfred would be fine. Right now, he needed to worry about his friends.

They had told Alfred when they had arrived to the hospital that Gilbert was still alive. But barely. Even the doctors weren't sure he would pull through. Something about his aorta being punctured? As it stood now, the man was in ICU, and had not regained consciousness.

One of the doctors, Dr. Smith had explained at this point, everything was up to Gilbert. The hospital staff had already performed surgery to try and repair the organ as much as possible, as well as hooked him up to various fluids. They had even asked Ludwig to donate some of his blood upon his arrival.

Arthur listened as the blonde man in question continued to sob. This was the most vulnerable anyone had ever seen him. The once stoic, seemingly unemotional man had finally been broken.

Kiku was seated on the opposite side of Ludwig, a hand on his shoulder while he muttered awkward words of comfort. The small Japanese man, though friendly, always seemed a bit distant...even now.

Arthur continued to sit, staring straight ahead. He knew he should try and encourage Ludwig as well. But he couldn't bring himself to. Though he had never been as close to Gilbert as Ludwig and Alfred, he couldn't imagine not hearing the albino's loud, and obnoxious baritone announcing his greatness every five minutes.

On top of that, he was greatly concerned for Alfred's well-being. He had sent Alfred out of sight when the ambulance had actually arrived, being as he was still wanted in prison...He had also gone so far as to call Ivan to keep an eye on the man.

Would Ivan be able to keep him from harming himself? The way the American had been acting, watching as his friend lay there dying, Arthur was afraid for his life. He had already threatened suicide once before. Would it happen again? And clearly that's how the demon was wanting it to end. He wanted to take everyone Arthur cared for, and eliminate them. Why was he so special?

"Arthur?"

Arthur slowly turned his gaze to find Ludwig now facing in his direction. He seemed to have calmed down a considerable amount, save the few tears still cascasing down his pale cheeks.

"I don't vant you to zink I hold Alfred responsible for this. And I hope he knows zat as well."

Arthur nodded slowly. He already knew Ludwig was a rational enough man to never accuse a friend of something so atrocious. However, he had to admit, it did calm his nerves a bit to hear it confirmed.

"Thank you. I know that'll mean a lot to him."

Before the conversation could continue, Kiku cleared his throat, causing the two to focus their attention on the doctor now making his way over to the trio.

Arthur and Kiku nearly jumped to their feet at the sight of him. But Ludwig seemed rather hesitant to get his hopes up. Especially from the solemn look on the man's face.

"Will our friend be all right?" Kiku asked, seeming to gain courage quicker than the other two.

Dr. Smith seemed to ponder that question for a moment, which caused Arthur's pulse to quicken in response.

"Well," The graying man before them began. "For now, he seems to have a pretty good chance of survival. But we do want to keep him in ICU until he's woken up." Then, he added with a small smile. "Mr. Beilschmidt is certainly a fighter. I've never seen anyone's heart die out, and then start beating again so fast in my twenty years of practice."

Finally, Ludwig slowly got to his feet as well, a look of disbelief staining his face. "Y-you mean he's going to live?"

Dr. Smith's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he replied. "I can't promise anything. The rest is up to your brother. We've done all we can do. But I'm telling you his chances are much better than what we thought earlier." He then patted the tall man on the shoulder. "For now, I don't want anyone to visit him just yet. He needs some time. But, we'll call if there's any change in his condition." He paused, noting the less than enthusiastic look on Ludwig's face. "Why don't you go home and rest?" And with a gentle smile, the man took his leave.

"This is wonderful news. Why don't we go back to my place? I will make us some supper, and we can tell Alfred the good news as well." Kiku offered.

Arthur, who had already whipped out his cell phone nodded in agreement. "I'm way ahead of you, ol' chap!" Relief was coursing inside of his body, soothing his tense and aching muscles. Everything would be all right. Gilbert would survive, Alfred would be thrilled, and thankfully, he would most likely eat for once. This was a night to celebrate!

He just wished Ivan would pick up his phone. Why was he taking so long?

"Hello?"

"Ivan! Its Arthur. How's Alfred?"

Pause. "Um...he's not doing so well..."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"What are you talking about?"

"Well...how do I put this lightly...? He's...escaped..."

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Arthur was sure he would have face palmed at that moment.

"What do you mean he's escaped? Is he...you know...possessed?" Arthur stole a glance at the two with him. It was clear from the faces they were feeling the same as him. Relief had turned to utter dismay.

"No. Not when he left. He was pretty upset about Gilbert, da? So I tried to cheer him up with stories of my homeland...That didn't seem to work very well..."

Arthur could feel the heat in his face as anger rushed through his throat, and out of his mouth. "Of course not, you bloody imbecile! Your stories are all about torture and brutality! I'm quite certain that wouldn't help anyone feel better!" The Englishman took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Did he leave with any weapons?"

'Please, God...let him say no...'

"No...unless you count that rope we used to tie him down earlier."

'Oh shit...'

...

_Haha! I TOTALLY got you guys! I couldn't kill Gilbert off! He's the comedic relief for sure!_

_Well, they finally got some good news in the sense that Gilbert's still alive! YAY! MUAHAHAHAHAA!_

_But, what will happen when they find Alfred? What will they find when they find him? And will they find him in time? _

_I can't tell you any of that! NOT UNTIL NEXT TIME! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_=O_

_Anyways! Please leave me some feedback! You guys rock for real!_

_=]_


	16. Broken

_I am SOOOO sorry it took me so long to update! I've had THE worst writer's block. _

_But you guys seriously motivated me to just sit down and finally write. I LOVE these reviews! You seriously are going to give me a huge head...=P_

_But for real, I'm super flattered! And I love that you like this story!  
><em> 

_ANYWAYS, I've kept you waiting MORE than long enough, so, why not get into it?_

_Disclaimer-As always, I do not own Hetalia! Probably a good thing I don't...I'd just depress that up as well..._

_..._

Cold wind bit at the American's face as he trudged on. His boots sunk in mud as rain poured, drenching his entire body. If his life wasn't about to be cut short that very night, he might've thought to bring a jacket.

Blue eyes shifted from tree, to tree. He had definitely made it far enough into the woods.

As he chose a giant oak, thoughts soon flooded his mind.

When had life become so pointless? Alfred remembered times when his biggest concern was, 'who was he going to take home from the bar?' Now, it had become, 'How was he going to keep from hurting his friends?'

This was the only way. Death was his only outlet. And, as an added bonus, he wouldn't be constantly occupied by some homicidal spirit...

_Of course this is for the best, you know? If you stay living, you might just kill off another lump of flesh you care about._

Gee...he did have great timing...

Alfred inwardly rolled his eyes at the voice. Even in his last moments, he wouldn't be left alone.

_You know, this isn't surprising...The way you've lived your life, you deserve to die. Can you recall one selfless act you've made?_

Alfred continued to ignore the demon as he swung the rope over one of the branches. Could he just shut up for one minute? He was getting what he wanted! Alfred would die, and the demon would finally win. Wasn't it that simple?

_Aren't you afraid you won't make it into heaven? God would never take you in. Look at you...The best thing you'll ever do is commit suicide. It really is for the best. You've wasted your entire life believing in someone who will never give you a chance. In a way, I really do pity you. Heh heh heh!_

A tear rolled down Alfred's cheek as that statement sunk in. He very well knew that to be true. His entire life, he had been brought up a christian. Then, later in life, once he got a place of his own, and he broke contact with his parents, things seemed to spiral out of control. Alcohol had become the young man's best friend, and he had done some things he regretted. His life had revolved around partying, even when he had become a teacher. Bars, and strip clubs were his favorite hang outs. A huge reason why he knew he had lost a reasonable amount of respect from Arthur.

God...Arthur...

More tears cascaded down his cheeks at the thought of the man. He knew the Englishman would no doubt be upset at his death. But it was for the best. He couldn't allow himself to harm his closest friend.

Alfred made quick work of climbing the tree, up to the branch that held the rope. The demon's voice echoed throughout his head, but nothing seemed to stick out to him. Not after the last comment.

As he looped the rope wide enough to fit his head through, the blonde took one last deep breath in an effort to calm his jittery nerves.

"Heh...I never thought it'd end this way..." He muttered to himself. In a sick way, this whole situation was amusing to him.

Shutting his eyes, he took the rope in both hands, draping the coarse material over his head. It was now or never.

Without a single thought, he slid his body from the tree, and in an instant, Alfred knew everything would be all right. The sounds of the millions of rain drops falling around him began to fade...

And then, everything was silent...

...

Arthur raced on, almost tripping numerous times in the torrential downpoor.

Where the hell was he? From the direction Ivan had indicated Alfred had left in, he had to be in the woods. No doubt about it.

Now, though he had the area narrowed down, the forest surrounding his home was massive. This could take hours they didn't have to track him down. He just hoped one of the others had better luck in finding him.

Hours seemed to pass as he sped on, and for a moment, Arthur was sure this was the longest he had ever run in his life. His lungs were reaching the point, where he was sure they would burst.

And then, a sight unfolded before him that he would never get out of his head...

There, just a few yards away, he found the familiar shape of Alfred...hanging from a large tree.

"Oh my God!" He heard himself shriek. The sound that had escaped his lips no longer sounded human.

He quickly dashed over, at first too in shock to think clearly.

Luckily, Alfred's feet dangled just barely from the ground, so cutting his body down was relatively easy for the Englishman.

Once he had removed the rope from Alfred's throat, Arthur cradled his head in his lap. His soaked blonde hair clung to the elder man's dark wash jeans, and his hands laid limply at either side.

Arthur couldn't contain his sobs as he pulled his phone from his shirt pocket, and dialed Ludwig.

"Vait, vat? Arthur...I cannot understand you. Speak clearer." The baritone announced at Arthur's incoherent banter.

Arthur let another howl of distress out, before he attempted to continue.

"I...I found him! L-Ludwig...I think he's d-dead! Oh my God!"

He listened as the German let out a gasp on the other line. And, in a fog, Arthur heard himself give their location over the phone as Ludwig promised to call an ambulance for them. No doubt they would never be able to understand Arthur in his current state.

Arthur grasped the other man's shoulders closer to his own body, sobbing into the tousled blonde hair as the rain continued to fall.

It seemed to reflect the mood, as Arthur clutched tighter to the other body.

Hadn't he just been thinking earlier that day, how he couldn't imagine a world without Alfred? And here he sat, with the lifeless form in his arms.

Somehow, Arthur's entire body began to ache at the loss. This had become the worst day of his life.

And it was all his fault...

...

_God, I am an awful person..._

_I feel like every chapter gets more and more depressing! GEEZ!_

_Anyways, Please leave me your awesome feedback, guys! I LOVE it!_

_See ya next chappie!_

_=]_


	17. Last Resort

_Back again! YAY! So, I know last chapter was freaking terrible, and depressing...And I apologize...I'm just a sucker for angst! _

_Poor Arthur and company...They totally lost their best friend, AND, what's Gilbert going to do when he finds out?_

_All right! Enough chatter..._

_ENJOY!_

_=]_

...

Arthur moved in a haze trudging throughout his home. It **had **to be here somewhere...he just knew it...

His mind wandered back to just an hour previous. That was when the doctor had delivered the news that had stabbed Arthur in the heart like a knife.

Alfred was pronounced dead on arrival. There was nothing they could do.

Arthur remembered Ludwig immediately pulling him into a hug, tears dripping onto his already soaked hair. Kiku had sunk to the floor of the waiting room, his hands covering his face. Even Ivan seemed distraught, tears pouring down his pale face.

But Arthur couldn't cry...Why? What was wrong with him? Of course he had sobbed out in the wooded area, awaiting the ambulance. Was he just in shock?

He could recall as he gently pushed away from Ludwig, and strode away from the scene. At first, only Ludwig called out to him. Then, his voice was joined by Kiku and Ivan. Obviously they were concerned for his fragile mental state. But Arthur felt some sort of magnetic pull that drug him back to his house...

And that's when he remembered his last resort...

"Here you are..." Came his cracked voice. In his hand, he held the book that would determine whether or not his life would remain a shattered mess.

When he was growing up, the Englishman remembered his parents being very active in a cult. And even once, he got to come along. At first, Arthur had no idea the reason behind all of the strange people gathering every week. But as he grew older, his parents explained that they had been gifted with some sort of magic. It was all odd, and even now Arthur discredited the whole thing as rubbish. Especially for the sense that his father performed exorcisms. Wasn't he supposed to be against magic and cults?

But as he flipped through the pages of his father's spell book, the blonde man no longer cared. If there was any chance at all to revive his friend, he would take it. No matter what.

Finally, his emerald eyes landed on the spell, and he wished so desperately with every fiber of his being that it would work, his body literally ached.

He opened his mouth, reciting the various words in latin as he read them from the paper. This just had to work...

As if it would ensure the revival of Alfred's soul, Arthur's chanting quickened to the point where, even he could no longer decipher the words escaping his lips.

He continued on, and on, until he reached the point where he forced himself to gasp for air, then picked up right where he left off.

Time seemed to stand still, and by now the man had memorized the words so well, he no longer needed to stare directly at the page. His eyes had now settled on the cell phone sitting on the small table to the left of where he now stood.

'Ring, Damnet...'

All the British man wished for now, was for the obnoxious shrieking of his cell phone, and for one of his friends to announce that Alfred had somehow awoken from his peaceful slumber. Didn't he deserve that much?

Arthur felt his knees buckle below him as the day's events hit him like a brick. What had he ever done to deserve to stand by, and watch his family die before his eyes? What had he done to deserve losing his best friend?

"**Damn you!**" He heard himself shout as his fist came down onto the hardwood floor. He felt pain course through his arm at the action, but ignored it.

A thought struck him for a moment, and he wondered just who it was he was cursing...

Was it the demon responsible? Because of course that being already was damned.

Or was it himself? Everything was his fault. He knew that very well. If he hadn't been so curious, and egocentric, Alfred never would've wound up possessed. Granted, someone else would have been taken away from him...

Of course everything had begun when he was a child...

He should have been braver back then! Stronger...He could've fought the evil entity, and none of this ever would have happened.

His gaze then fell on the book as it tumbled from its perch. In a fury, he grasped the binding, and flung it across the room. It had failed him. The magic that apparently coursed through his veins had as well.

And worst of all...he had failed himself...

Arthur shook his head as the tears finally poured from his eyes. Alfred had been wrong...the demon hadn't wanted his life...

It wanted Arthur's...

And he wasn't so sure he had much fight left in him.

The lone figure brought his hands up to cover his eyes. He didn't care to look about the empty room right now.

He felt as a breeze picked up, floating throughout the room, and his messy hair tickled at his fingers. Great...he had forgotten to close a window...He was sure one of the rooms in his house was soaked from the earlier storm.

A knocking sound made itself known, resounding from the direction of the front door. At first, Arthur ignored it. However, this proved useless as he listened to someone turn the knob, and enter anyway.

"Arthur?"

Shit...Ludwig...Was he going to try and offer him more words of comfort? Because he was not in the mood.

When he failed to respond, he heard the German draw closer, and a small thud told Arthur he was now kneeling before him.

"Arthur?"

"What do you want?"

There was a pause, and Arthur felt as his hands were forced away from his face. "Arthur...its a miracle..."

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the incredulous expression pasted to Ludwig's face.

"Oh, bloody hell...we all know Gilbert's going to survive...can't you wait to celebrate until tomorrow?" He spat, still bawling so his words were further spaced apart. His eyes fell to the floor, striving to make out the markings in the wood through his blurred vision. He instantly regretted his statement...Ludwig didn't deserve that...

He opened his mouth to apologize. "Look, Ludwig...I'm sorry...you didn't de-"

"It doesn't matter, Arthur! Just listen to me!"

Emerald eyes snapped back up to find the taller man waving the impending conversation off in an impatient manner.

"He's alive!"

At first, Arthur couldn't even begin to fathom who Ludwig meant. Then, he felt as his eyes widened, already wary of hoping for what he thought the German meant.

"You mean...Alfred...?"

Ludwig nodded, a smile forming on his lips. "Yes! Ze doctors have no idea how! Zey tried to restart his heart one more time, and somehow, it worked!"

There were so many things Arthur wished to say at that moment. However, his vocal chords betrayed him, unwilling to work properly.

Stupidly, he opened his mouth again, but no words came out. Instead, he listened as a chuckle resounded from his throat, followed by another, and then another...and before he knew it, Arthur was outright laughing. At first, Arthur briefly wondered if he had lost his mind from all the stress he had undergone the past few weeks.

And judging from Ludwig's face, he seemed to think the same at first...until Arthur calmed himself.

"I am so sorry...I don't know what's come over me..." He forced out, reaching a hand up to run through his messy blonde locks.

Ludwig's puzzled expression softened as the smile returned to his lips. "My guess is you are just glad." His eyes then seemed to search the room. "And from ze look of zings, its a welcome change."

Arthur could feel embarassment seep over him at the disarray. Things were still tossed here and there from his previous search, and the book was still flung against the wall.

"I believe I would have to agree..." He then forced himself to meet Ludwig's gaze as he spoke the question weighing on his mind ever since he found out his friend was alive once more. "Can we go to visit him?"

Ludwig nodded, beginning to rise to his feet. "Zat is of course vy I came. Zey said Alfred would probably wake up soon, and I vanted you to be the first face he sees."

Arthur got to his feet as well, striding over, and picking up his spellbook. Without a second thought, he placed in on the awaiting table, and began to follow Ludwig outside.

He suddenly remembered the breeze he felt, and immediately decided to find the open window. He definitely did not need someone breaking into his home while he was away. The man had enough stress in his life at the moment, and he did not need to add being burglarized to the long list.

"Hold on, Ludwig! I will be right out!" He promised, turning back through the doorway.

He darted to every room in his house, finding no window open. That was odd...he had definitely felt some sort of wind earlier...But there was no open window...Where had it come from?

Deciding he would look into it later, Arthur darted outside, and into Ludwig's awaiting volkswagon.

He let out the breath he had been holding, every muscle relaxing as he did so...

Alfred was alive...the demon hadn't won...

...

_You guys are seriously going to kill me with these emotional roller coasters...I'm such a horrible person..._

_But at least Alfred's alive again, right? _

_And DANG! Arthur finally did some magic...WHAT?_

_ANYWAY, that breeze, as you most likely guessed, but just in case you didn't get it, was from his magic bringing Alfred back to life. WOOT!_

_And look at that! Two new chapters in two days. I knew I couldn't leave you guys depressed for a week! I'm not THAT awful of a person! =P_

_Anyways, hope you liked! Next chapter, you'll get to see Arthur tear into Alfred for committing suicide. DEFINITELY don't wanna miss that. _

_=]_


	18. Visit

All right...I am so sorry it took me so long to update on this story. I've been sick lately, so all I've wanted to do is sleep. =/

Anyway, so hopefully you'll like this chapter! I was kind of medicated when I wrote it...

ENOUGH TALKING!

Enjoy!

=]

...

Arthur wasted no time in racing into Alfred's room once the doctors had informed him he was now conscious. He was followed by Ludwig; Kiku and Ivan had long since headed home.

Arthur couldn't blame them. Both seemed exhausted from the day's events, and the hospital staff had already informed the four that only two at a time could visit Alfred at the moment, since he was still in serious condition. And since Arthur and Ludwig had already asserted they would be the first to enter, the other two had decided they would visit Alfred in the morning when visitor hours would once again begin.

"Hey, dudes..." Alfred greeted, a weakened smile gracing his pale features. Immediately, Arthur noted the brace around the young man's neck, and he already felt sickened at having to see him in such a fragile state again.

Arthur pulled a chair up next to the bed the frail blonde laid on, grasping one of his hands in a comforting manner. "Hey, chap. How are you feeling?" Once his question sank in, Arthur mentally kicked himself. Of course the young man was still in pain. He could barely even speak! Why would he even ask such a question?

It seemed the same thought had struck Ludwig as he furrowed a brow in the Englishman's direction.

Luckily, Alfred was either in too much pain, or too clueless to feel the same way as he shrugged, wincing as he did so. "All right. Still pretty sore. But," He began, the smile on his face reappearing, as he leaned closer to Arhur in order to speak in a hushed tone. "And, don't freak...but I think he's gone."

For a moment, Arthur pondered just what Alfred's seemingly nonsensical babble meant...until his face lit up, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Y-you mean...?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, bro! I can't hear his voice anymore. I think he's finally gone."

"This is wonderful news!" Arthur then turned his emerald eyes on Ludwig. "Did you hear that? Alfred's no longer possessed!"

Ludwig nodded, a grin found on his face as well. "Yes! At least ve finally found a vay to rid you of that demon, Alfred." He then took a step forward, his gaze falling on the man in the bed. "I am sure Gilbert will be glad to hear you are free as vell."

Alfred visibly tensed at the mention of the elder German's name. "S-So...how is he? Has he woken up yet?" He seemed to notice as the mood darkened in the room, the smiles all but disappearing from his friend's faces. The doctors at this point were certain the albino would live. But, now the question had risen on whether or not he would fall into a coma, which could be dangerous.

So, now the question was...how to break the news to Alfred? The demon leaving the American was the first good thing to happen to him in quite some time.

Ludwig seemed the first to tire of the awkward silence as he spoke up. "Not yet. But he will."

Arthur could feel his body relax as he watched Alfred finally release the breath he had been holding, the smile reappearing on his face.

"Now..." Arthur said, shifting in his chair slightly. "To address a more important matter..."

"Heh...whatcha doin' bro?" Alfred nervously questioned as the elder man now rose from his chair, grasping the collar of Alfred's hospital gown and shaking him almost too forcefully.

"What the hell were you thinking, you stupid idiot? Were you trying to give us all a heart attack? I can't believe you would be so selfish as to try and take your own life!" As Arthur continued to rant, Ludwig darted over, attempting to pry him from the startled Alfred, who now seemed frozen.

"Arthur! Are you insane? Do You vant to get us kicked out of here?" The German spat, having finally pulled the man away from Alfred who was now slowly readjusting his neckbrace. He then gestured towards the blonde in question as he added, "And you could have killed him! Can you at least vait to yell at him when he's not hooked up to an IV?"

Arthur's gaze dropped to the floor, the shame seeping in. "I suppose you're right." He then stole a glance at Alfred. "I apologize...I just...couldn't deal with the chance of losing you. Please...don't ever do anything so rash again." It was clear from the awkward gaps in the British man's speech, he was uncomfortable with revealing such emotion.

Picking up on this difficulty, Alfred offered the man a small smile. "Its all right, man. You don't need to worry. Especially now that my body isn't gonna be used for some crazy, evil junk anymore."

Before Arthur could reply, a scream was heard from down the hall.

"What the bloody hell whas that?"

Another scream sounded, as a nurse raced past the doorway. Was that...blood on her scrubs?

Arthur ran from the room, curiosity getting the best of him. He heard as Ludwig and Alfred called after him, but he just had to find out what was going on.

But when he made it into the hall...he immediately wished he hadn't...

...

Will things EVER be peaceful for them? GEEZ!

Anyway, at least Alfred's not possessed anymore! Poor guy almost got killed by Arthur, though...

Anyway, lemme know what you thought! Hope you liked it!

And check back to see what happens next!

=]


	19. Sacrifice?

Whoo! Three updates all in one day! I'm pretty proud of myself! FOR REALS, YO!

Now, this chapter's pretty short, and I apologize for that. But, it does have a pretty interesting turn, so I hope you enjoy!

Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we?

=]

...

Blood seeped from one of the rooms, and at the angle Arthur was standing at, he couldn't see what was inside.

He cautiously stepped forward, until he was stepping in the red liquid. And that's when he saw it...

There, inside the room were bodies of both doctors, and nurses. On the bed sat the familiar albino, and Arthur felt as a shiver raced down his spine, and his heart sank.

They weren't rid of the demon...It had only relocated itself into Gilbert's body.

As if sensing the presence of the Englishman, Gilbert's head slowly turned, revealing that his usual red eyes had darkened into the complete black Alfred's had been.

"Well...hello, Arthur." He greeted in the familiar menacing tone.

He seemed to notice Arthur's horrified expression as a chuckle resounded from Gilbert's throat. "What's the matter? You didn't seriously think you would be rid of me so easily, did you?"

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words. This was a nightmare...All he could think of was the fact that he would never be rid of this evil entity. Nothing would stop it...

"G...Gil?"

Arthur, startled at the voice, slowly turned to find Ludwig. His blue eyes had widened in a mixture of shock, fear, and what the Englishman could tell to be concern for his brother.

A smirk spread across Gilbert's lips as another chuckle escaped his throat. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, boy." He began, turning his entire body to face the two, and taking a step forward. "Gilbert isn't going to be available for quite some time..."

"You sick bastard! Let go of my brother!" Ludwig shouted, his face flushing a bright red.

"You should be thanking me right now." Came the demon's voice again. "If not for me, your brother would have ended up a vegetable, just waiting for death. At least I'm putting his body to good use."

Arthur instinctively moved so he could block Ludwig's frame as he tried desperately to rush over to where the demon stood, grinning at the tall German.

"Ludwig! Calm yourself! Do you honestly think it would be wise to pick a fight with that thing?"

He watched as Ludwig opened his mouth to argue. Luckily, reason seemed to seep into his mind as his eyes fell upon the hideous sight of the corpses coated in blood on the floor, and his body relaxed somewhat.

A tear rolled down the German's cheek as he made a rather pitiful noise. "I...I can't believe he's taken poor Gil..."

Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. There was nothing he could say to comfort the man, and the blonde was overwhelmed with pity.

That's when a thought occured to the man. There was something he could do...He gently pulled away from the still crying German, stepping closer in the direction of where the demon stood.

"Oh...Look at you, Arthur. I'm shocked you're coming this close to me. I thought for certain you were afraid of me." He taunted, his gravelly voice already causing Arthur to regret his decision.

He fought the urge to roll his eyes at this comment. Though, he did indeed feel fear whenever he saw those souless eyes, at the moment hate was becoming a stronger emotion.

"I have a proposition for you." He spat, causing Gilbert's brows to furrow in interest.

"Yes?"

Arthur hesitated, still unsure of whether or not he was entirely willing to speak his idea.

"Get out of Gilbert..." He paused once more, almost choking on the words he was about to say. He could tell the entity was beginning to lose patience, so he knew it was now or never. "And possess me...I'm who you want. Just leave the others be..."

At this suggestion, the grin plastered to Gilbert's face grew, and Arthur felt as his stomach twisted in knots from the fear coursing through his body.

He heard as Ludwig gasped at the suggestion, and he almost turned to hush the tall man. He knew he was one step away from interfering, and he did not need that right now. None of them did.

This...was the only way...

...

=[

Poor Arthur! He seriously can not win. This thing wants him dead!

Anyway, check back to see what happens next!

=]


	20. Deal With The Devil

_Heyoooo! Back again! _

_So happy I finally got to update. I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to go with this chapter, but I finally decided! And I hope you like it!_

_Anyways, loving my reviews guys! You're too sweet!_

_All right...enough chatter!_

_=P_

_..._

As Gilbert's soulless eyes continued to bear into Arthur, he began to feel even more unsure of himself. Was this truly the correct path for him to choose? Shouldn't he just try and fight the demon? Continue on with the exorcisms?

He quickly shook the thought off. No. Clearly that had not been working. And if he continued to piddle around with ideas such as those, his friends would keep becoming targets for the deranged entity.

"Are you completely sure this is what you desire? You have to know, Arthur, that I can use you in many ways I could not a normal human." The smirk pasted to the albino's face told Arthur exactly what he meant.

The magic...His ability to do magic is what the demon wanted more than anything.

"Arzur!" He heard Ludwig yell.

But he had no time to respond as Gilbert's face grew closer to his, eliminating the gap between the two.

"You do realize that this is an odd possession, correct?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Arthur cursed himself for sounding so frightened. Fear was a weakness. One that could not be shown to this...thing...

He felt as Gilbert leaned in closer, his lips to Arthur's ear. "In order for me to inhabit your body, it will not be like any other tenancy. Your soul can no longer exist."

Arthur could feel his body stiffen at this newfound information. He would need to...die?

A chuckle escaped the Prussian's throat, that same raspy, wicked noise. "Why are you shaking so much?" There was a pause, and Arthur could feel as his tongue raked across the blonde's cheek. "We haven't even gotten to the scary part."

Now sheer terror had oozed into every inch of his body. Him dying wasn't the worst? He watched as Gilbert's face came back into view, the sickening grin still pasted to his face.

"Because you're family practiced witchcraft, and because you have magic in your blood...you will have to be sacrificed."

At that last sentence, the world seemed to stop for Arthur. Everything froze. There was no way he had heard that right. Sacrificed? As in...killed unmercilessly? It was a hard enough concept for him to accept that he would need to die. He definitely wasn't ready for that. But to be slaughtered in some ceremony was even more difficult to comprehend.

It seemed Ludwig had not become near as tongue-tied as he spoke up. "Are you crazy? Arzur! Do not listen to him! Zis is not ze right vay!"

But wasn't it? He knew Ludwig did not want to go through the same hell he had been experiencing the past couple of months. Sitting by, and watching as his brother was tortured by a demonic power. This was his battle. No one else's...

"All right. I'll do it..."

The smirk on the man's face before him widened, if even possible. "I knew you would come around." His raven eyes focused on Arthur's green ones once more as he added. "Then we will do it tonight. Midnight would be best, and we shall do it at your home."

"Arzur! Please! Zink zis through!"

Arthur, ignoring Ludwig's cries nodded slowly. "All right. I will see you at midnight then."

Out of curiosity, Arthur almost wished to ask how exactly he planned on just strolling out of the hospital in Gilbert's body. However, he also knew the being powerful enough to find a way. He just wasn't sure he wanted to be privy to that knowledge.

He slowly turned from the demon's satisfied smile, and began to walk from the room.

He hesitated a moment in the hall, still hearing Alfred's cries of his name. Did he really want to go back in there and tell the younger man what atrocity he had just agreed to?

It seemed Ludwig, who had joined him, read his mind. "Are you crazy? Arzur! Vy vould you make such a deal? Vat is Alfred going to say ven he finds out?"

"Nothing." Arthur heard himself whisper. And with a new determination, he brought his emerald eyes up to find Ludwig's. "Because we're not going to tell him a thing. Do you hear me? When we go back inside, you are not to mention anything of the sort. You can tell him that Gilbert has been possessed, and we are working on a way to free him. But that is it."

He could tell from Ludwig's expression that he was surprised to hear such an authoritative tone leaking from the British man's lips. And though he could see the German was by no mean's happy with this plan, he nodded in agreement.

When they re-entered Alfred's room, the blonde's face melted from a look of fear, to relief. "Ah man! I'm so glad you guys are okay! I thought something bad had happened to you. So, what was going on out there?"

As Arthur explained what had happend to Gilbert, Alfred frowned.

"Not Gil...I can't believe he's gone after him."

Arthur nodded. "I know. But, we'll try the exorcism on him. I believe the ones performed on you weakened the spirit, so he should be free after a few tries."

After a couple of minutes, it seemed the staff had regained control on the ward, urging every visitor out, and beginning the task of cleaning up the bodies stacked in Gilbert's room.

Apparently, the albino in question had gone missing...

The demon was definitely a tricky one. This caused the iminent feeling of doom to increase inside Arthur's heart as he walked on with Ludwig.

Ludwig had grown rather quiet, and Arthur knew it was from his decision. But, did he want Gilbert free, or not?

Eventually, the two decided to head to a local pub. Arthur figured if he was to die in six hours, he might as well enjoy himself for a little while at least.

However...that was not to be...

Apparently, Ludwig had gotten in contact with Kiku and Ivan. Both had entered the dimly lit building, and joined the two at the bar.

"Arthur...you know it is not a good idea to make such an agreement with something of that sort. Especially to have him kill you..." Kiku said, wasting to time in his lecture.

Arthur took another few gulps of his Amberbock, trying his best to block the small Japanese man out.

His gaze then turned to Ludwig, narrowing his eyes at the man. "You just had to tell them, didn't you?"

"I just feel you should zink more clearly into zis. None of us want you to die. And zink of how Alfred's going to take ze news. It will kill him."

Arthur shrugged as the bartender replaced his empty glass with another beer. "No. He'll be fine. All of you will be fine. I think its high time I was the hero." After that comment, the blonde couldn't help but laugh. "Dear God...I sound just like that bloody fool."

"You know, Arthur," Ivan began. Even he no longer held a smile on his face at the bleak conversation. "I am definitely one to enjoy the suffering of others. But I don't think you should go through with this."

After sucking down the other beer, Arthur had had enough. Didn't they understand this was all for them? That he was trying to keep everyone safe? Or for the fact he could no longer just wait around while the demon took someone else he cared about? Alfred had almost died countless times. There was no way he was going to risk that again.

The blonde slammed his money down on the bar, and slowly rose to his feet, the alcohol finally flowing into his system. "I don't need to hear this from you wankers! If you can't accept what I'm about to do, don't bother showing up."

And with that, he stormed out.

Sure, it was odd to say the least that he wanted his friends to be there when he died. But, somehow, it would be comforting to see all of them. Even if it would be the last time...

A tear rolled down his cheek, shocking even him. Arthur rarely ever cried. But, the thought of never seeing any of those fools again tore into him. Especially Alfred...

What would the out-spoken American say when he found out Arthur had died? Would he be relieved no one would be around to lecture him all of the time? Or would he be devastated?

Selfishly, Arthur of course wanted to be missed. But he did not want anyone to be heart-broken by his untimely death. This was his choice.

It was the only choice...

_..._

_Depressed face! Poor Arthur. He just wants to do what's best for everyone!_

_And its weird to have Ivan be all serious...and not creepy..._

_Anyway, check back for the next chapter to see what happens! _

_Will Arthur really die? Will Gilbert be freed? WILL I EVER STOP ASKING YOU USELESS QUESTIONS?_

_Maybe...You'll just have to wait and see!_

_=P_


	21. Staggering to Midnight

_All right. I knew it took forever to get this chapter up, and I really do apologize. I just want to make sure I have this story go in a good direction, ya know? Only the best for you guys, fo sho!_

_Plus, again...writer's block has been a biatch!_

_Anyway, I've made you wait long enough. _

_Hope you like!_

_=P_

_..._

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...Wait a minute. Back up. You're telling me Arthur's about to do...what now?"

Alfred listened as the small Japanese man on the other line breathed a small sigh before continuing.

"Alfred, I am sure you heard me correctly the last seven times I have told you. Arthur is planning on becoming a sacrifice for the demon."

The blonde gripped the receiver a little tighter, feeling as the anxiety slowly began to settle in. Is this how Arthur had felt when he had discovered the American's lifeless body out in the woods? Worried? Distraught? Maybe even hurt as he felt now?

Without thinking, Alfred began to shake his head in reply. Then, remembering Kiku could not see him, opened his mouth to speak. "We have to stop him."

"Alfred...how do you plan on helping when you are still in the hospital?"

Alfred paused, pondering that question for a moment.

"I'll find a way." And with that, he gently set the receiver back on the phone's hook in his room.

...

Arthur sauntered on through, block after block, his steps slowing as he drew closer to his home.

Yes, he was very aware of the fact that he had agreed to this deal. It just didn't mean he had to hurry to his slaughter anytime soon.

He brought the bottle of beer he had purchased from a greasy liquor store, to his lips, taking a rather large swig. He stumbled as he did so, and he knew what a sight he must be to the motorists still out and about at 11:47 p.m.

The air was crisp, a chilly ring to the night, causing him to clutch a little tighter to the powder blue, button-down top clinging to his torso. At least he could rely on his old friend Jack Daniels to keep him warm.

A smile graced his pale lips as he chugged from the bottle once more.

However, his pleasure was short-lived as the two-story brick house came into view.

Regrettably, he felt his body tense at the sight of his home, where he knew the demon to be lurking already inside. He had made it clear back at the hospital he would have preparations to be made, and that he would arrive earlier than midnight.

Arthur glanced briefly at the rolex watch wrapped around his wrist. It now read ten minutes to 12:00.

After pouring the last bit of beer down his throat, the Englishman slowly sauntered to his house. Immediately, his mind filled with thoughts of his friends. Had they been correct in their attempt to persuade him out of this? Was there possibly a way out for him now?

He quickly shook the thought from his mind once he recalled Alfred's tortureous time in possession. Did he really want to witness another of his friends succumb to the same fate?

"Damn pride..." He muttered to himself, now noting the slur in his words. If he wasn't so terrified, he wondered if he would laugh at his voice at that moment.

Finally, he arrived at the olive-painted door. After fumbling for a few moments, he grasped the key from his pocket.

Feeling his heart begin to race, he gently pushed the door open.

Inside, he found the only source of light came from the dozens of candles formed in a circle surrounding some sort of table that held restraints on top, which Arthur guessed would be where he would die verly shortly. Even from the presence of the many candles, the light was still rather dim. In a way, Arthur was glad. This ritual would not alert any of the neighbors.

"I see you've made it."

Arthur turned to find Gilbert's body seated in one of his armchairs, the demon's eyes staring intensely in his direction.

"And I see you are early. You must be excited." As he added this last statement, a grin spread across Gilbert's ghostly pale features, as if reminding Arthur of what he had to fear.

But he would not allow this foul creature to see any of that. He would be brave until the very last second...

With a deep breath, Arthur opened his mouth to speak the words that tasted equivalent to acid on his tongue.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

...

_Poor Arthur. At least he spent his final hours doing what he loved best...Drinking!_

_Anyway, Just to add some suspense for you guys, someone is definitely going to die next chapter. It may be Arthur. Or it may not be. Either way, you'll just have to see next chapter who it is!_

_Love ya, guys! Leave me some of your amazing reviews!_

_=P_


	22. Fatal Calculations

_All right, guys. Finally got the 22nd chapter up. This story is LONNGGGG! Though, I feel like I have an affinity with those..._

_Anyway, are you guys PUMPED? WOOT! _

_Well, here ya go! Hope you enjoy! _

_=P_

_..._

Beads of sweat formed on Alfred's forehead as he met up with Kiku, Ludwig, and Ivan down the street from Arthur's home. It was a wonder the staff hadn't noticed him slip out from his room. He had to guess it helped from removing the neckbrace, and changing back into his blue jeans and white T-shirt. Either way, he was grateful for it. Arthur was obviously deluded if he had agreed to making a deal with the demon of this sort. If anyone knew the evil entity, it was him.

Months of constant, dark thoughts flooding Alfred's subconscious had opened the man's eyes to the hidden world of the paranormal he had otherwise refused to believe in. Now, here he stood, making a plan with his friends to rescue his brother from such. It was a lot to take in. Even now.

"Ivan...that plan is not ze best..." Ludwig complained, running a hand through his slightly tousled hair. Even his trusty hair gel couldn't stand up to the stress they had all been put under. He seemed to notice as Ivan prepared to argue. "It is unorthodox to spear Gilbert in ze heart. Have you forgotten he's my brother?"

Ivan sighed, the small smile on his face vanishing instantly.

Alfred was shocked the Russian had even suggested killing Gilbert. He could've sworn the usual loner had taken a liking to the Prussian. Though, it was hard to tell from the sadistic man if someone had fallen into his favor...

"I suggest we create a distraction. Maybe summon the demon out from the house?" Kiku chimed in.

Ludwig shook his head. "No. He'll undoubtedly refuse until after he's done with the ritual."

At this, Alfred had had enough. When he checked his watch, and found it was now only three minutes to Arthur's scheduled execution, he let out an outburst before he could stop himself. "Who cares? Let's just bust in, and figure out the plan later!"

"Alfred," Kiku began. "We cannot just go into something without knowing what to expect. We need a plan."

"Well, a plan seems kind of pointless if Arthur's dead, now doesn't it!"

He watched as Ludwig opened his mouth to speak, but Alfred was unwilling to listen to their version of "reason". Without a second thought, the American darted off in the direction of the familiar brick house. He could hear his friends calling his name, but there was no way he was going to sit back and wait as Arthur was killed.

Before he knew it, he had barged into the living room, finding Arthur strapped to a table circled by dozens of flickering candles. Gilbert's body was standing on one side of Arthur, grasping a knife in his hand.

Both pairs of eyes landed on Alfred. Arthur's showed a mixture of surprise and anger. The demon's showed amusement.

_"Ah, glad you could join us, Alfred. I wasn't sure if I would be seeing you again so soon. Did you miss me?" _Came the demon's raspy voice.

Alfred could feel his body tremble slightly at the voice. However, he refused to show his fear to such a creature.

"Let him go."

_"Heh heh heh...I must say, I'm pretty shocked at the willpower you have left. I thought for sure once I was through with you, you'd stay locked up in that hospital, and away from me."_

Alfred caught himself staring at the wicked smile tugging at the edges of Gilbert's pale lips. It both frightened, and saddened him. Was this what the others saw when he had been possessed?

"Alfred! What are you doing here? Get out!"

Alfred's gaze shifted to the man strapped on the table. Confusion washed over himfor a moment. Why was Arthur acting this way? Shouldn't he be glad Alfred had come to the rescue? That he was going to save him from this demented entity?

"I'm here to get you out, man!" He said, finally regaining his composure.

_Heh heh heh...Ah, dear boy. That is quite an honorable thing to say. But...how could you possibly think you can save him when he now belongs to me?"_

Despite his immense fear, Alfred met the eyes of the demon. "I'll find a way."

Just then, the tall grandfather clock in the room began to chime, signaling that it had now struck midnight.

At this, the smirk widened on Gilbert's face as he stepped closer to the table, though his eyes were still on Alfred.

_"While I find your theatrics amusing, son, I believe its time for you to say goodbye to your friend here." _

"No!" Alfred shrieked, watching as the blade in Gilbert's hand was raised directly above Arthur's heart. He prepared himself to intervene, but soon found that to be unnecessary.

Moving so fast, the event seemed to become a blur to him, Alfred saw as Gilbert's body was knocked from beside Arthur. That was when he saw Ludwig had tackled his brother to the floor. Rising slightly to look down at the man, Ludwig grabbed his brother's face in both hands.

"Gil! I know you are in zere! Please! Wake up!"

The smirk the demon had wore previously was now gone. In its place was a look of pure rage.

_"You idiot! I will carve your heart from your chest for your intrusion!" _He spat, knocking the larger man from atop himself.

As he once again rose, Alfred, who had begun to try and untie the straps around Arthur's wrists, began to hurry in his task.

_"Step away, human. Or I will burn you from the inside out." _He then paused, the smirk reforming on his face as Alfred glanced briefly at him. _"And you know better than anyone that I can." _

"Alfred! Stop being foolish, and go!" Arthur pleaded, wriggling on the table. "I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. But it'd be best if you just left. You don't need to see this!"

Alfred couldn't help but roll his eyes, thankful that Ludwig had grabbed Gilbert once more, buying him some more time and undoing those Godawful binds...

"Dear God, Arthur...Normally I answer you in a more respectful way, but dude...your breath reaks of alcohol...How much did you even have tonight?"

Arthur grew silent for a moment before replying with a simple, "Shut up..."

Alfred couldn't help but chuckle slightly at this. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, right? I mean, even drinking until the end. Haha! But seriously dude...you have a problem."

Finally, he had gotten both wrist straps undone. Now, he just needed to work on the ones wrapped around the ankles...

"Agh!" Alfred's gaze darted in the direction the cry of pain had come from.

His eyes widened as he found the knife through Ludwig's chest. Blood was already pouring from the wound, as the demon jerked the weapon from the German's body.

Almost instantly, Ludwig's body fell to the floor with a loud thump.

_"Fool! I told you not to get in my way." _The pure black eyes rested on him once more. _"And if you don't leave now, you'll end up just like him." _

Alfred watched helplessly as the demon closed in on the distance between them. How was he supposed to protect Arthur now? And not to mention, save what life was left in Ludwig?

...

_Ah geez. This just got real. Poor Alfred. Where the heck are Kiku and Ivan when you need them? _

_And will he be able to save Arthur and Ludwig? _

_You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. MUAHAHAHAHA!_

_But, don't forget to let me know what you thought!_

_=P_


	23. Nightmares Become Reality

_I know, I know. Its been forever. I'm sorry! I FAIL! But I finally updated in honor of halloween approaching. _

_I really want to take the time real quick to tell you guys how much I appreciate your reading and reviewing. You guys rock bearing with me and my slow updating. =]_

_Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. It kinda killed me a little to write it..._

_Why you ask? _

_You'll just have to read and find out. MUAHAHAAHA!_

Frantic thoughts began to take over in Alfred's mind. Maybe he should've listened to Kiku and everyone about the plan. Now, here he sat, seconds from ending up just like poor Ludwig.

At the thought of the man, Alfred's gaze flashed to the German laying lifeless on the floor. Blood had begun to gather around his body, staining his gray jacket.

_"I've had enough of you getting in my way. You pathetic humans thought you could save your friend. Too bad you underestimated my strength."_

"Dude, if you hadn't noticed, its already past midnight. We kinda have already won..." Alfred was shocked at the words he had just spoken, and judging from the look on Arthur's face, he was as well. How could such defiant, and brave words come out of someone's mouth, who was truthfully so afraid, he was literally paralyzed where he sat?

_"You may have taken away my ability to add the dark arts to my long list of powers, but that doesn't mean I can't still kill all of you in this God forsaken house. You'll just be a sacrifice to __**my **__God."_

The blonde pondered that for a moment. Demons didn't worship God. They had strayed away from him. So...?

Before he could receive an answer, he felt as Gilbert's hand clutched around his throat.

_"I can't wait to cut that defiant tongue out of your putrid mouth." _

With a smirk on the pale man's face, his hand slowly raised, holding the knife. His other hand abandoned his neck to pry open Alfred's mouth.

"Dear God, Alfred, no!" Arthur shrieked, trying his best to untie his ankles as quickly as he could.

_"Oh, I don't think so." _The demon hissed. With one glance, Arthur was forced back onto the table with a loud thump, and the binds were once again tied around his hands and feet.

Alfred could feel the sheer terror taking hold of his body, now even more fearful after that display of power. Now he definitely knew he had been foolish. How could he have thought he would rescue Arthur without any plan?

Once the demon's black eyes found Arthur's again, he resumed in his task, sliding the knife into his mouth. Alfred gasped at the touch of the cold metal. He closed his eyes as the blade was pressed upon his tongue. The blonde gripped himself for the tortuous pain, but instead was met with a harsh shriek. The knife dropped from his mouth, a little bit of blood filling his mouth, but other than that, unscathed. His eyes shot open to find Ludwig and Kiku had made it inside.

Both were on either side of Gilbert. Kiku had drawn his sword, and Ivan had his trusty pipe ready for action.

Alfred knew he needed to make use of this precious time. Arthur needed untying if they had any hope of defeating this thing. He raced over, beginning to untie the bonds once more. This time, he had grasped the knife, and began to cut the straps.

"Bloody hell..." Arthur complained, examining his raw wrists and ankles. "The hurts."

"At least you didn't almost become mute!"

Arthur nodded slowly, unable to argue. His emerald eyes shifted from Alfred to the fight before them. Slowly, a look of pure horror overtook his features, making him seem even more pale than Alfred thought possible.

A sick feeling made its way into the pit of Alfred's stomach at that look. "Wh-what?" He asked, not entirely sure he was prepared for the answer.

In response, Arthur merely nodded for Alfred to turn around, apparently too spooked to speak.

When Alfred did turn his gaze, he desperately wished he hadn't.

There, before him, were his friends slowly burning to death. Their flesh dissipating as he watched. Their screams of pain were too much for him to handle.

That, and the way the demon was staring directly at him.


	24. Difficult Decision

_Yay! Time for another chapter! AND IT DIDN'T TAKE ME HALF A YEAR TO GET IT UP! YAY ME!_

_MUAHAHAHA!_

_All right, so I'm a total moron, and in the last chapter, I know I said Ludwig and Kiku barged in. I definitely meant Ivan, but, ya know...Had a dumb moment..._

_ANYWAY! I should let you guys enjoy, right?!_

_Disclaimer-I do not own Hetalia. Just to like to keep up with that disclaimer. WOOT!_

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'Have I come here for nothing? I can't save anyone...This is all of my fault. I led everyone here to be killed...'

Alfred could only stand and watch as the silouhettes of his friends slowly disappeared. He felt as hot tears began to stream down his cheeks. If only he had been stronger. If only he had fought that demon with everything he had...Maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this.

He felt as his knees hit something hard. It took the man a moment to realize he had fallen to the floor.

His vision was too blurred to see that Gilbert's body was stepping closer towards him. The only indication he had was by Arthur shrieking for him to move. But he couldn't.

All those times things had seemed too bleak to ever be reversed, Alfred always knew his friends had his back. But now...now three of them were merely ashes, one was possessed by the demon he was too weak to beat, and the other was in grave danger as well.

His thoughts were soon broken as a horrifingly awful pain shot through his abdomen.

"Alfred! Dear God, no!" Arthur cried.

He could hear as the elder blonde darted towards the demon, trying to get him as far as he could away from Alfred. He could hear their raised voices, but could not make out what either was saying. The pain was too intense to focus on anything but it.

Alfred grasped the handle of the knife, but couldn't find the strength to pull it out. Nothing mattered anymore. He had caused the deaths of Ludwig, Kiku, and Ivan. All in one day. The only way to end it, was to let himself die. This whole thing had started with him, and now he would end it.

"Ugh!" Alfred could hear Arthur gasp in pain. This immediately caused his head to snap up, and flash his eyes in his brother's direction.

He found the man was bleeding from his side, and the demon had his neck in a tight clutch.

Before Alfred knew it, he was at his feet again, ripping the knife from his body with a slight groan.

No...He wasn't going to stand by, and lose someone else he cared about. If he was to die tonight, he would die fighting.

To his advantage, the demon seemed to distracted by Arthur's jerking body to notice as Alfred raced towards him, gripping the knife. In the next moment, he had forced the knife into his back.

_"Agh! Dammit!" _It screeched, immediately releasing Arthur from his choke hold. He then turned, his soulless eyes now trained on Alfred. _"I see you've become rather bored, have you? Well...maybe its time I had some more fun with you. Heheheheh!"_

Alfred wasn't sure if it was the newfound adrenaline racing through his veins, or if he was losing his mind, but he felt no fear. Only rage.

"Get out of my friend."

_"Human...Are you seriously giving __**me **__orders? Need I remind you who I am? I can easily kill any of your other remaining friends from where I stand. Do __**NOT **__treat me as your equal."_

Alfred just remained standing before him, unwilling to back down. "I don't think I stuttered. I said, get out of my friend. Please don't make me come after you again."

"Alfred..." Arthur whispered, his voice hoarse from the previous ordeal.

In response, the man merely raised a hand to silence him.

_"Maybe you should listen carefully, boy. The only way you will get me out of this body, is if it is killed. And, after it is no more, I may, or may not leave your world for a while." _At this, Gilbert's pale lips stretched into a smirk.

Alfred narrowed his eyes at him. Could he really take that chance? Could he really kill Gilbert on the off chance that the demon would have to leave? On the other hand, what was the point in letting the albino continue to live when he would no longer have control of his body...

It was all up to him, and he could not even imagine what was best...

So...he closed his eyes, and did the only thing he knew to do...

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	25. The Ending of Madness?

25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

_"Damn...I'm impressed..."_

Alfred listened as Gilbert's body hit the floor. An explosion of guilt filled his core. It nauseated him to the point where he was sure he would vomit.

The blonde slowly opened his eyes to find the demon clutching at his borrowed body's chest. Dark crimson blood was already leaking through and staining his even paler fingers. The black in his eyes was slowly retreating as it began to reveal Gilbert's red eyes once more.

_"I must say...I didn't think you had it in you, pig.I thought you'd let this useless human live. Especially...after I killed those other swine." _

He paused to take in Alfred's somber expression. After noting the pained look in his eye, the demon began to laugh one more time. However, he stopped short as he coughed up more of Gilbert's blood.

The demon removed the hand he had used to cover his mouth, eyeing the red liquid. _"Heh...looks like your friend doesn't have much time. Guess its time for me to leave." _He then narrowed his eyes dangerously at Alfred, a sinister smirk spread across his mouth. _"I'll be back for you. Don't worry." _

And with that, Gilbert's eyes closed and his body fell limply to the floor.

Alfred raced over, grasping at Gilbert's shoulders. "Gilbert! Come on. Come back. I know you're still alive!" He then glanced in Arthur's direction where the man seemed to be frozen from the night's events. "Call an ambulance! We can still save him!"

Without another thought, Alfred immersed himself in the task of CPR. He had to get his friend back. Gilbert couldn't die like this. Especially not without proclaiming his "awesomeness" one last time. There was no way.

Eventually, Alfred seemed to notice he was the only one in the room making any semblance of a noise. Shouldn't Arthur be on the phone right now? Was he still too spooked to move?

"What the hell are you doing, Arthur? Why aren't you calling 911?"

No reply.

"Arthur!"

"...What have you done?"

Alfred paused.

"What are you talking about? I'm trying to keep Gilbert alive while you just sit there, and do nothing." He replied, becoming irrate at Arthur's odd question.

"**What have you done**?!"

The former teacher jumped at the repeated question. Arthur's tone had raised rather considerably. Was he losing it?

Alfred slowly turned his gaze to find Arthur now standing on the other side of the room, a terrified expression on his face. That of course was to be expected. But Alfred couldn't help but wonder why that look was directed towards him...

"Arthur? What are you doing? I asked you to call an ambulance! Why are you acting so weird?"

The elder blonde's eyes widened even further if possible. "D-do you not remember...what you have done?"

"For Christ's sake! Just spit it out! What the hell are you talking about?!"

There was a pause as Arthur seemed to try and gather himself. He slowly stepped forward a couple of feet, pointing at the piles of ash that had once been a part of their group. Remarkably it seemed the fire had gone out, giving them a perfect view of the remnants of the three.

"You killed them. You killed all of them." He said, pointing in Gilbert's direction as well.

Alfred could only shake his head in shock. "No. The demon did. Don't go blaming me for trying to save your ass! You're the one who wanted to make a fucking deal with it!"

He watched as Arthur jumped at his raised tone. It took the Englishman a few moments to regain the courage to speak. And when he did, he only puzzled Alfred even further.

"Alfred? What are you talking about? What demon?"

Alfred could hear the fear building in the other man's voice. It was becoming so thick, he could feel it in the room.

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts. Was he really hearing Arthur right? How could his closest friend not remember this torturous past year?

When Alfred didn't reply, Arthur continued.

"We-we were worried about you...Kiku was the one who decided to meet over at my house...I...I knew you weren't well...b-b-but this..." He slowly trained his eyes back on Alfred. Now it seemed he had pity mixed in with the anxiety on his face. "I wanted to help you...I didn't think you'd get out of there..."

"G-get out of where? You mean the hospital? I wasn't even hanging that long. You found me soon enough...of course I would be fine..." He was unsure of whether or not he wanted to address the other statements thrown at him. Now Alfred was becoming afraid. Had Arthur totally lost it? What was all this crazy talk he was spewing now?

Arthur's eyes narrowed some. Now confusion was added into the mix of emotions he could read on the man's face. "You really don't remember any of it? You were in the psych ward. We had you committed..."

"Yeah! Because of the demon! You guys got me out though so you could do that 'exorcism' thing."

"No. That never happened...We put you in there because we were worried about you. You were angry and-"

"NO! That isn't what happened! Are you even listening to yourself right now?! Do you know how insane you sound?! I was possessed by a demon! You got it out when I tried to hang myself, and then it went into Gilbert! So you tried to save him by sacrificing yourself! Don't you remember anything?!"

"Alfred..." Arthur began as he shook his head in a solemn manner. "None of that happened. You began killing your students, so to save you from the death penalty, we convinced you to stay in that asylum. We all came to visit you regularly, the five of us. But...we began to notice you weren't doing well there. W...We met here tonight to talk about moving you elsewhere...b-but you got out...You killed them all..."

This couldn't be true. He had to be dreaming. There was no way four of his friends were dead, and the fifth one was accusing them of their deaths.

But just as he was beginning to speak once more, flashes of images began to bombard his mind.

So much blood...

So many bodies...

So...much...

Enjoyment?

Was he honestly feeling pleasure at these bloody scenes? And this familiarity...Were these...memories?

"AGH!" His head began to throb with an unmeasurable amount of pain as everything seemed to swarm him at all once.

"This can't be true. This can't be true...**This can't be true**!"

There was no demon? No demon that had possessed him?

No...he _was _the demon...

Memories of past murders flooded his mind. The awful things he had done. He began to remember his time in the asylum, plotting his escape, and revenge. He hadn't wanted to plead insanity. He had welcomed his sentence to death. It was a fitting end for such a life. Like closing a circle of death he had caused...

And those bastards had ruined that symmetry for him!

"Heh heh heh..." He finally released his grip on his head, slowly raising his gaze to Arthur. "I guess I just have to finish this with you then. Though, I guess I should thank you for helping me remember." The knife still clutched in his hand slowly raised, as did his body.

Arthur instinctively took a few steps backward. "Alfred...you don't have to do this...You don't have to kill me...I just want to help you..." That panicked look was back and it caused an immense amount of excitement for Alfred.

"Oh...but I think I do. You couldn't just let me have what I wanted, could you? Do you have any idea what they did to me in that place? Of course not. Because you were still living your comfortable life here at home. Hmm...maybe I should dope you up with drugs and strap you to the bed while I electrocute the shit out of your head to make you 'uncrazy'? Or maybe I'll strip you of every personaly thought by torturing you with so much pain, it'll downright almost kill you?" Alfred shook his head as he grinned maliciously at the one person he thought he could trust. "But I'm not in the mood to wait to see you die. I'll just cut you open, and see what your guts look like."

Before he could take another step, sirens could be heard, piercing the once quiet neihborhood.

Within an instant, the police were busting through the door.

"Oh thank God you're here..." Arthur said, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

"Drop your weapon." One commanded, his gun pointed at Alfred.

"What if I don't?"

The officer seemed taken aback by the blonde's comment as he hesitated. "We'll shoot."

Alfred seemed to ponder that idea for a moment. But he quickly shook his head in utter refusal. "I don't think I like either of those choices to be honest with you. I have another..."

Arthur watched as the blonde raised the knife, and sliced across his neck. Blood instantly pored from the gash, but he continued to smile. He fell to his knees and the knife dropped from his hand.

"Call an ambulance!" Another man shouted, seemingly stunned by Alfred's performance.

Everything seemed to be a blur to Arthur as the officers raced about, trying to keep Alfred alive. He had lost so much in the span of a night. Everyone closest to him lay in his living room, dead. And he had failed to help the one person who had needed him most.

He sank to his knees, all of his strength gone.

"Hey! This one's still alive. Let's hurry and get him to a hospital."

Arthur's head jerked up to find that the paramedics had somehow arrived in his daze. They were now lifting Gilbert onto a gurney, and wheeling him towards the ambulance.

"G-Gilbert's...alive?" He heard himself ask.

"Oh. That's his name? Yeah. He should be fine. At least, that's what Jon was saying." A cop explained, gesturing in the direction of one of the paramedics. He then turned to face Arthur. "So...If you can just give me your statement, we'll finish up here, and be out of your hair sooner so you can go visit your friend once they get him fixed up."

Arthur nodded.

...

Seven Months Later...

Arthur sighed as he typed the last letter for his latest book.

"Done." He said, glancing at the computer screen before him.

"Well, its about time. The Great and Awesome me would've finished that book sooner." Gilbert taunted from behind him.

Arthur couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Gilbert, I'm not sure you should be making jokes like that. You know what this book is about..."

"Yes. I do. But, I also know the Alfred we knew wouldn't want us to be all depressing about his...end..."

Arthur shrugged, spinning around in his chair to face his friend. The albino had made a full recovery which was remarkable for how close to death he had been. "I guess you're right. I just wish things hadn't ended the way they did. Now everyone still thinks of him as a terrifying monster. I'm just hoping this book will help change their minds. Show them that he wasn't just a serial killer..."

"That, and they'll read about his freaky past. Anyway, I'm just glad you're finally writing again. Though, I don't see why the book couldn't have been about my awesomeness...but...whatever..."

"Anyway," Arthur began, "I'm sending it to my publisher right now. Why don't we head out for some lunch while I wait for her to respond?"

Gilbert nodded. "Sounds good. I'll go head to the car while you finish up here. Don't keep me waiting!" And with that, the albino left the room.

Arthur waited for the document to fully send before shutting his laptop. "There." He said, as he rose to his feet. He strode to his closet to grab a jacket. As he opened the door, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. His eyes quickly flew up to find the impossible.

There, Alfred's eyes met his, a sinister-looking scar spread across his throat.

"Al-Alfred?!"

"Goodbye...Arthur."

Arthur heard himself gasp. How was he standing before him right now? Hadn't he died? The hospital declared him legally dead upon arrival. So...how...?

"Alfred...how...what are you doing here?"

"Did you really think I was going to let you get away that easily? I'm not about to let you go on living when you've made my life a living hell. Nor will I let you release that stupid book." He then smirked at that last statement causing Arthur to become even more horrified by this man's presence. "I made sure to kill that bitch last night. Whoops. Guess your legacy won't be living on."

Arthur felt as he shoved the blade even deeper.

"Ngh...Wh-why? I...We just wanted to help you. Pl-please don't do this..."

"Hmm...I seem to remember begging you not to put me in that God-forsaken place. But did you listen to me? I don't think so. So, I guess my answer will be this."

Before he could register another thought, the knife was extracted from his stomach, into his neck.

"Arthur...you always made me sick. I couldn't stand the sight of you after you had me locked away. Have fun in hell."

Arthur could only sputter in response as more blood raced from his open wound. So this was it. In the end, he had underestimated Alfred, and now here he lay...

He listened as Alfred continued to laugh, mocking him. And then...everything went black...

"You couldn't think I'd be gone...

I'm never gone..."

And with that, he made his way out of the room. Ready to face the world again...

THE END

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Sooooo...who saw that one coming? MUAHAHAHA!

A lot of you had some awesome guesses, and I'm not gonna lie, I was almost going to go with yours AgiMeli. That was actually my original idea, but I thought this one would be a bigger surprise.

And I know its uber depressing and all, but I kind of wanted an ending that would stick with you, you know? Like one of those that's so immensely weird, that you're just like..."What the heck just happened?" I hope I accomplished that with this story, and I REALLY hope you guys enjoyed it!

I'm thinking about making another chapter with an alternate ending, but I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, let me know what you think, guys! And thank you all for your amazing reviews! YOU'RE AWESOME! =P


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